Burning Flyer Miles
by Manx Maiden
Summary: Kaoru and her little brother have just inherited a dojo in Japan. All goes well, until her best friend and famous journalist drops in. Soon, Misao has them tangled in a web of revolution, government conspiracy, and two dangerously handsome men.
1. Chapter 1

Burning Flyer Miles

By Manx Maiden

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or its characters. I also owe many other fanfiction writers for the ideas that inspired this story.

Authoress' Note: I tried to make this chapter a lengthy one. While it doesn't have much action, the next chapters will have a lot. I warn all of you that there is a very shocking secret that will be revealed about one of the characters towards the end. Please review and suggest ideas. This is one of my first fanfics, so flames are welcome.

Plot: Kaoru and her little brother have just inherited a dojo in Japan. All goes well, until her best friend and famous journalist drops in. Soon, Misao has them tangled in a web of revolution, government conspiracy, and two dangerously handsome men.

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Chapter I

Meetings of Fate

The flight was turning out to be a lot more pleasant than Kaoru assumed it would be. She had heard so many horror stories about the bizarre happenings on planes. However, so far no stewardess had knocked a drink in her lap, no one was snoring loudly, the plane hadn't crashed, and no sweaty fat guy had sat next to her. It was her first time in an airplane and she was really enjoying it.

Even Yahiko was behaving. There had been no "ugly" or "bad cook" comments, since they had left the airport. As of right now, he was silent having fallen asleep listening to his ipod. Although, how he slept through that head banging music she would never know.

Kaoru leaned back in her chair and looked out the window on her left. She had offered Yahiko the window seat she now occupied, but he refused saying that he would rather be closer to the inside of the plane. Yahiko had been on a plane once with their father. She didn't what had happened, but whatever it was, it made Yahiko paranoid of planes.

When he learned that they were moving to Kyoto, he had demanded that they travel by ship only. The only way she could even convince him to come on board was to give him her original aisle seat and promise him that she would give him her Parashoot if she had to. Yet, here he was sound asleep! Well, go figure kids.

She didn't really mind the window seat. In fact, the view was absolutely breath taking. Even at the time of night it was, Kaoru loved to gaze out of the window as the plane glided through the sky. It would be dawn again soon, so the view would be filled with even more amazing landscape and mountains.

Kaoru finally glanced away from the window and closed her eyes. She hadn't sleep at all so far because of her own nerves and overall excitement. But now, she was finally tired and didn't want to waste the last few hours of darkness. The tapping on her shoulder, however, made her realize that sleeping was going to be impossible.

She cracked a lazy eye open expecting it to be Yahiko. Instead, she found the pretty face of the tiny Asian stewardess smiling at her. Kaoru turned to her and the stewardess whispered something to her. It was to quiet for her to hear and the stewardess must have seen her confused look. The woman looked at Yahiko and realized that she was afraid to wake him.

"Oh, don't worry about him, miss. He can sleep through anything. See?" Kaoru gave her younger brother a slap to the head. Yahiko's reaction was to roll over slightly.

Giving her an amused look, the stewardess said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but one of our passengers asked if she could switch places with you."

Looking worried, Kaoru replied, "Well, you see, my brother here is kind of scared of planes, so…."

The stewardess continued in a pressing manor, "Oh. Well, this lady is the mother of the two little girls in front of you and her ticket was accidentally changed. She was originally supposed to sit next to her children in your seat."

Kaoru turned to look at the two little girls sleeping in front of her. She had had a very interesting conversation with them about ponies and dresses only a few hours before. They had been slightly nervous of flying at first, so she had done her best to try and calm their nerves. Kaoru had wondered where their parents were, but hadn't seen anyone come to comfort the girls.

Sighing, Kaoru realized how much of a softy she really was. "Sure," she told the stewardess, "I'll change."

Getting up and sliding around the slumbering Yahiko, she followed the pretty stewardess as she led her down the aisle. The woman stopped at an aisle seat and talked to what Kaoru assumed was the two girls' mother. She sighed and was already beginning to miss her window seat. Suddenly, her disappointment left and she realized that the view her new seat brought more than made up for the loss.

Her eyes went wide when the stewardess moved to the left and she caught a flash of red. In the window seat beside her new one, sat the most handsome man she had ever seen. She could tell he was Asian by his slanted eyes, but his fiery red locks that hung in a high ponytail said otherwise. Not only that, but his fierce amber eyes and slightly pale skin further hinted at mixed blood. She wondered if he too had had a white parent like she herself had.

She instantly realized why this woman had waited so long to trade seats with her. She had obviously enjoyed her seat next to the man, but Kaoru also instantly knew why she suddenly decided to move. Kaoru recognized the calluses on the man's hands. She also recognized the predatory way his eyes took her every action. This, no doubt about it, was a warrior. A warrior in what army she did not know. But, she knew that he was someone that you would never want to face alone. How alike she and this stranger were already. Interesting…

***************

Kenshin took in a sharp breath and praised the heavens when the lady beside him finally asked to move seats. He didn't know what disgusted him more. The simple fact that she had been practically draping herself over him for the past five hours, or the fact that her wedding ring was clearly evident. He was not at all surprised when she finally asked to change seats to be with her children. The woman was older and she was not exactly a tiny thing.

He had been very polite at first and even struck up a conversation with her for an hour or two. However, the moment her hand "accidentally" went somewhere it shouldn't, he had given her the cold shoulder. It hadn't worked though. Finally, he was forced to reveal his somewhat terrorizing hidden nature just to drive the hint that he was interested home. He didn't know if the woman was just dense or desperate, but his threatening attitude did its job and fear finally set in.

He didn't like scaring women really. What was the old saying though? That desperate times call for desperate measures? Well, this had certainly been one of those times. He just hoped that none of Aoshi's spies had seen his embarrassing situation. If he found out, Aoshi would never let him live it down.

Kenshin almost cheered when the stewardess came back and told the annoying woman that she could switch seats. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief as the woman got up and left. When he opened them, he saw that the stewardess and the annoying lady had left. Looking up at his new seatmate, his eyes lit up. Blue eyes with the wild spirit of the ocean stared back into his frozen amber ones. She was a vision.

This beautiful woman's heart shaped lips soon opened and words flowed out. He didn't hear them though. He was already in his own little daze and everything was foggy. Wow! He marveled at the fire he saw in her eyes when he didn't answer her. But, what was the question again?

For the life of him, he didn't know. He was in a tough situation because she looked like she might smack him if he didn't answer her soon. Instinctively, he did what any other man would do in his situation. He nodded. Smiling in relief as she sat down calmly, he racked his brains for something to say.

"So, what's your name?" _Oh, yeah. That was really smooth. _

She looked at him somewhat amused at his sudden question. Smiling she said, "My name is Kaoru. What's yours?"

Kenshin was somewhat taken a back. So, she was American after all. He assumed she had some Western blood because of her light eyes and snowy skin, but he had assumed her to Japanese like himself. Her Japanese was accented though, and he could tell that she didn't have the total mastery of the language yet. So, that was why she looked at him that way when he asked for her name. That is also why she gave him her first name, instead of the customary last name new Japanese acquaintances give each other.

Humoring her little error, he said, "My name is Kenshin. I apologize, I assumed you were Japanese like myself."

Tilting her head slightly, she confirmed, "My father was, but I am American myself."

Intrigued, he asked, "Where are you from then?"

"I come from a little town out in Montana."

"Oh, so I assume you are visiting family on this trip, then?"

Hesitating a moment, she replied, "Now, my younger brother and I are moving to Japan."

"You're younger brother? Are your parents there already?"

He could tell that Kaoru was over twenty, but it seemed strange for her to bring her little brother to live with her alone in a foreign country.

"No. Our parents are dead. I have custody of my brother."

Her answer threw him for loop. That was not what he was expecting. He felt as if he was prying to deep, but her reaction didn't send him any message that she was offended. Besides, he was impressed. How many older siblings would willingly become the stand in parent to their little brothers?

"I'm sorry," Kenshin apologized, "I didn't mean to ask such a personal question."

"That's ok. It's also a very normal question really. After all, it's not everyday that two siblings move to Japan together."

Her accented Japanese was like graceful music. Kenshin always thought that having romantic thoughts about a woman's voice was invented by writers to sell books to lonely housewives. Yet, hear he was reacting to the notes of her voice as if she were a snake charmer, and he the snake. Well, really that description wasn't too far off.

"I'm impressed," Kenshin, echoed his thoughts, "Tell me, why would you move all the way across the world though."

She hesitated again, as if deciding what her response would be. Her eyes seemed to search his in a suspicious way. Finally, her complexion abandoned her suspicious look.

"My brother and I have just inherited an ancient dojo from a distant grandmother. I thought the change might be a better environment for Yahiko."

"Yahiko is your younger brother, right?"

"Right," she said still smiling.

Kenshin smiled back and was suddenly very grateful that fate had given Kaoru the seat behind those kids.

***************

At first, the warning bells went off in Kaoru's head when this man began to ask so many questions. She soon relaxed though, when she realized that his questions came from genuine curiosity. He was actually a rather good conversationalist. They spent the next few hours talking and she learned some interesting things about him.

He had traveled quite a bit and knew several languages. He admitted that he dabbled in swordsmanship and that he had a cat named "Mike". He knew a little bit of English and she had a good laugh as she tried to teach him a few phrases. He tended to have a hard time annunciating her words. He got his revenge, however, every time he said something in Japanese that she didn't understand. After a little while of the language battle, they both called it a tie.

She also found out that he too was an orphan and was raised by an old family friend. He told a few cute stories of his childhood and she in turn told of few of her own. She told him about her dream to teach Kendo full time becoming a reality and even told him about her fear of mice. There was one subject that he had avoided though. She had ignored it at first, and then blatantly refused to ask it.

She knew that this man could no doubt be very dangerous when he wanted to be. He seemed rather social though, and she certainly didn't think him to be one of the men hunting for her. If she did, she would never have answered his questions and would have attacked him in the first minute they met. However, she just had to ask the question now nagging at her brain.

Taking in a breath of air, she finally asked, "So, what is it that you do for a living?"

"Oh, me? I'm a journalist."

There, it was spoken smoothly, calmly, and perfectly. It was without a doubt a rehearsed lie that he himself must come to believe sometimes. Although he was fun to talk to, she knew that she would never want to know what Kenshin really did for a living. He was, no doubt, the kind of man that did not make friends very often. Especially, not the female kind anyway.

Still, she had no problem spending the last remaining hours talking to the very handsome and charming man. After all, it's not like they would ever see each other again. Right?

***************

Yahiko was in a far less pleasant mood than Kaoru when he got off the plane in Kyoto airport. True, he had had a great nap. However, he had been woken up by a strange woman in Kaoru's seat yelling at the once cute girls in front of him. They had been so polite earlier when they talked to Kaoru. When she had left, they become loud, obnoxious brats. To top it off, he gotten a rather rude "she moved" when he asked the strange lady (who he assumed was the kids' mother) where Kaoru had gone.

The rest of the flight was a mixture of the kids yelling and the woman's annoying questions. He swore that the old lady was flirting with him. Him! Sure, he knew he was cute. Down right handsome even! But she was like twice his age! Not to mention, he was a little under age and illegal over here! Now, where was his legal guardian, you ask? He had looked around the plane to find her laughing it up with some pretty boy a few rows back! Was there no loyalty anymore?

Yahiko moved quickly to get out of the way of the crowd to wait for his sister. The airport was packed and he was hit by various pieces of luggage several times. Finally, he found a less crowded spot and leaned tiredly against a railing.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd bumped into him sending the ipod in his hand flying into the crowd. Yahiko immediately dived into the mass of people to rescue his only beloved ipod. He hissed in alarm as he watched his most prized possession being kicked and knocked from one place to another. He dodged past person after person; all the time shouting "Watch out!" or "Hey! That's mine!"

Finally, he was relieved to see that his ipod skidded to a stop in front of a pair of black boots. Looking up, he realized that they belonged to a tall Japanese man dressed in a trench coat with a black suit underneath. He had black cropped hair and harsh blue eyes that seemed to see through Yahiko's very soul.

The man stared at Yahiko a moment. Completely still, Yahiko watched as the man picked his ipod off the floor and handed it to him. Yahiko quickly grabbed it and uttered a "thanks". Yahiko wrapped his headphones around it and placed the newly recovered ipod into his hoodie's front pocket. Looking back at the guy who rescued it, he finally realized that there was another tough looking guy that stood behind him like some sort of bodyguard. Ok, this would be the time to make his exit.

Luckily, Yahiko was saved as his sister rushed up and grabbed his arm. Yelling at him for walking off, she smiled at the man in front of him and dragged Yahiko off to get their luggage. Yahiko briefly looked back at the two obviously dangerous men. He briefly saw them greet a guy with red hair before the crowd blocked Yahiko's view.

***************

Kenshin was in high spirits as he got off the plane. He had said goodbye to his pretty seatmate and wished that he had gotten her last name. Oh well, he knew that nothing could come of their meeting anyway. Women (no matter how stunningly beautiful, interesting, or enticing they were) were always an unwelcome and often lethal distraction in his world. Ah, but spending time with Kaoru had been a great way to pass a rather boring flight though. It's not so very dangerous just to talk to a pretty woman after all. Besides, it wasn't like he was ever going to see her again, right?

He shook his head and banished all the thoughts of the intriguing woman he had just met. Looking around, he spotted the favorite trench coat of his close friend and comrade. Smirking, he walked up to a man with piercing blue eyes and threw the duffel bag he had been carrying on his shoulder at the blue-eyed man.

"About time you got here, Aoshi."

The silent man's eyes thawed a little as he raised a single eyebrow. Catching the flying bag, Aoshi stated, "I assume this means you had a pleasant flight, then?"

Kenshin looked from Aoshi to the man behind him. He was a rather handsome man almost as tall as Aoshi. Few but Kenshin would ever know that the handsome face was simply one of this many masks. Literally. This man, Hannya, was perhaps the best spy Kenshin had even seen and he had even saved Kenshin's life on several occasions.

"Very pleasant," Kenshin replied, "I see you brought the whole cavalry."

Saluting the older man, Kenshin asked, " How's it going, Hannya?"

Hannya simply nodded back at him and then walked off to get the rest of Kenshin's bags at the luggage area. To tell the truth though, Kenshin wasn't at all surprised that Aoshi had brought his second-in-command with him. There was no telling what would happen when Kenshin arrived somewhere. He was already on the radar of most of the government's agencies. While they didn't really know what he or his brothers in arms actually looked like, there was always the chance that they all could be recognized somehow. Therefore, there was no need to be caught unprepared, now was there?

Aoshi smirked at him. "Well, if you can talk, then you can carry your own bags." He tossed the bag back to Kenshin.

Catching it, Kenshin watched as Hannya brought the rest of his luggage and tossed piece by piece to the golden-eyed man. Catching each suitcase, Kenshin shook his head and begin to follow his two long-time comrades. People cleared out of their way as the three men headed out of the airport's glass double-doors and out to Aoshi's limbo waiting on the curb.

***************

The cab ride from the airport was filled with loud shouts of "ugly" and several cries of "show some respect". The cab driver up front tried to look small as Yahiko yelled at his sister for leaving him to sit next to "that crazy old bat". She in turn at first apologized, but soon grew angry as he continued to yell. The cab driver was at a loss at what to do when Kaoru and Yahiko's argument turned into a full-fledged fistfight in his back seat.

Needless to say, the poor man was thrilled when they pulled up to the used car dealer and the siblings piled out of the cab. His tires screeched as he drove off. Not paying a bit of attention, the Kamiyas walked into the car dealer.

It wasn't but a few hours later that Kaoru was driving the green jeep she and Yahiko had picked out. Yahiko was the one who first spotted it, but Kaoru instantly fell in love with the beautiful car. Kaoru had always loved jeeps and had had one back home. It was past its expiration date though, so she decided to sell it and get a new jeep once they arrived in Kyoto.

She was soon very glad she not just bought some sissy girl's car because the drive out to their new dojo turned out to be a muddy, mountainous one. Their new home was about an hour outside of the city in a place that seemed untouched by time. The roads were all dirt and apparently no one had been that way in some number of years. The view was beautiful though, since there was nothing but trees, meadows, and all sort of wildlife for miles.

Interrupting the silence, Yahiko commanded, "Remember that you have to meet the head master tomorrow, Kaoru. So, don't wake up late!"

Temper now raring up, Kaoru fired back, "I never wake up late, _Yahiko-chan_! It's you that we're always waiting on!"

Grinding his teeth, Yahiko snarled, "Don't call me that! I hate that word! Darn it! Out of the words in Japanese that you can't remember, why can't that word be one of them?"

"It's just your luck, I guess," Kaoru giggled.

Yahiko was quick to launch another attack on her cooking though, and they fight continued all the way to the dojo. When they finally reached the dojo, Yahiko and Kaoru were red in the face from yelling. However, the sight of the dojo left them speechless. It was a moment that all the now petrified wildlife were grateful for. That was certainly lucking for the two loud siblings because the dojo was obviously home to most of the animals in the area.

The roof was falling apart, windows were broken out, and the front gate was almost completely unhinged. The place looked like the creepy old houses in all the horror movies where the main stars raise some dude from the dead who tries to kill them all. The two siblings gulped as they went inside. Thankfully, the inside was a little bit better. It was relatively clean and the furniture still had protective covers over them. Yes, the house did have a funny smell. And yes, the smell was coming from the basement along with some weird noises. Still, it's nothing some strong scented candles could kill, right? Hopefully?

A further search found the bedrooms to be huge. There were six total, and there was one large hall with futons lined across the far wall. Kaoru assumed that live-in students must have slept here at one time. Kaoru journeyed into the kitchen to see a pure disaster. Broken plates were everywhere, the table had some sort of bugs nest in it, and the stove was the old gas kind that you had to actually light with a match to even get a flame. That was okay though. It wasn't like anyone actually cooked in their family anyway.

Finally, Kaoru found the most important part of the dojo; the training hall. While it too needed repairs, it was still the most beautiful thing Kaoru had ever seen. Ancient swords were used in combat now laid dormant on the walls as decorations. Ancient scrolls sat on stands and the names of the dojo's students from years ago still hung on the wall covered in layers in dust. Opening a closet, Kaoru found dozens of padding and practice armor.

From what Kaoru understood, no one had set foot on this dojo since before World War II. That meant that every ounce of equipment had been around for quite some time. Some of these things might even date back as far as the Meiji Era! While, yes, that did mean she had to test the equipment first to make sure it could still be used, she was sure that Yahiko was more than up to the task.

Yes! This was Kaoru's dream! Sure, it needed some paint, some wood to fix the holes in the wall, and some form of something to clean up that green stuff growing in the corner, but it was still her dream! All she had to do was survive off their savings and rent from the other dojo in Tokyo, until she could fix up this dojo and open her own Kendo school. She had never been so happy in all her life!

"This place is a dump!" Well, that feeling didn't last long…

"I can't believe that we flew all the way around the world just to live in this trash heap! Is the other dojo in Tokyo this bad? No! It's in the city! People actually take care of it!"

"Yahiko!" Kaoru snapped, "We can't move to the dojo in Tokyo because the city is too dangerous! There are rebel gangs everywhere there! There's nothing like that here in Kyoto! Besides, we don't belong in the city anyway! We're staying, so deal with it!"

Yahiko growled. "Fine! But when the cockroaches kidnap you and make you their queen, don't ask me for help!"

Kaoru watched him stomp off in a huff and sighed. It was going to take a lot of work, she knew that. Still, they could make it work. They had too. They had survived too much not too. They worked too hard and long not to. They had nowhere else to go.

***************

It was bizarre really. Most people would think that the highways would be deserted at night. Then again, most people don't make running for their lives a habit. But hey, everyone needs a hobby, right?

Horns blared and drivers shouted, even in the pitch-black hour of the night. Tires screeched and cars slammed on their brakes. All of this was proving to be very distracting to a certain red head and his blue-eyed companion.

"What on earth is going on out there?" Kenshin demanded angrily.

Aoshi simply shrugged his shoulders. It had been a long day and everyone in the limbo was beyond tired. Yet, the two boys were still burning that mid-night oil. They had been going over blue prints for hours. They had to figure out some way to enter the next target and destroy it without having to fight the two hundred soldiers guarding the place. This little meeting only consisted of Kenshin and Aoshi now though. Hannya had said that he had someone to go see. Kenshin could only assume that Aoshi had sent him on an errand of some kind.

Kenshin looked at the clock. It was well past midnight and he was sure that he was going to pass out the minute they got to the Aoi-ya. You can't destroy a military base without losing some sleep though. It was well worth it to, since the mission had gone off without a single hitch. They stopped their beloved and corrupt government from terrorizing citizens, and they even got some pretty new weapons in the process. All's well that ends well. After all, it beat working hours on end at some office somewhere.

"Kenshin," Aoshi broke into his thoughts, "This next target is going to be very heavily guarded. It isn't some pathetic post out in the middle of nowhere like tonight's target was. This next place is going to be Shishio's birthday party. He'll have not only his best men, but also the best of society around him. Anyone without the appearance of blue blood will stick out like a sore thumb."

Kenshin faked insult. "Aoshi! Are you saying that you don't think that I can be cultured? I'm hurt!"

"Well," smirked Aoshi, "I do have my doubts after watching you eat ribs last week, but that wasn't what I was talking about."

Aoshi's smirk faded and his gaze turned solemn. "What I meant was…."

"You meant that we're going to have to kill someone on Shishio's tight guest list just to get in," Kenshin interrupted him.

Aoshi was silent for a minute as his eyes searched Kenshin's .

"Do you mind?" he asked finally.

Kenshin averted his gaze to the window to watch the darkness roll by. "No. If I stop now, then everything I've done so far will be for nothing. I will find another way to live someday, but now is not the time. I can't just abandon all my beliefs. She wouldn't want that….."

Aoshi felt a pang of sympathy for the man. He rarely mentioned _her_ anymore. Not that he had talked about _her_ all that much to begin with.

"Very well then. I will start making the preparations."

"Aoshi," Kenshin said surprised, "Normally, you have every mission planned in advance right down to the times where I can use the toilet. You're losing your edge old friend."

"It's nothing. I'm just losing sleep worrying about how you're going to screw our revolution up."

Kenshin opened his mouth to reply when the limbo suddenly stopped. Sending Aoshi a cautious look, the other man was quick to explain.

"Our driver just getting gas. Nothing to grab your sword over," Aoshi said as he climbed out of his seat and over to the door.

Kenshin got up to follow him. Spending five hours in a car didn't do wonders for your bladder. Even a guy could only hold it for so long. And Kenshin really didn't like the thought of climbing out of the car in the freezing dead of night just to take a leak on the side of the road.

Aoshi opened the door and started to get out. In a matter of seconds, he was thrown back inside the car on top of Kenshin. The two men went down in a loud heap and Kenshin's chest was crushed by Aoshi's weight. Aoshi's legendary instincts kicked in though, and he was up and off the smaller man in a flash. Pushing himself off the floor, Kenshin was surprised to what had knocked them down.

The mysterious boulder was actually a very petite young woman. She was probably the tiniest thing Kenshin had ever seen. She was also probably one of the most shockingly dressed women he had ever seen as well. She was dressed in head to toe in black leather. She wore a tight halter top that a blind man would have noticed and had on little shorts that exposed most of her well-toned legs to the two men. Her leather jacket and 5" inch stiletto boots were the finishing touch that would make most men stop and stare.

She wasn't exactly the exotic beauty men dream about, but she had short hair that framed her face in midnight locks and green eyes that could have lighten up the darkest of rooms. What was most noticeable about her though, was her bloody nose, the quickly spreading bruise on her cheek, and the death that she promised in her eyes.

Kenshin looked over at Aoshi and could have sworn that the man had frozen. He could also have sworn that some spark had appeared in the stoic man's eyes that Kenshin had never seen before. He didn't have time to figure out what it was though, because a huge man came threw the limbo door and tackled the nameless woman to the ground.

***************

The poor little woman had just managed to get up and off the seat the seat that she had landed on before the man tackled her again. Coughing up blood, she flew back against the seat as the larger man's fist collided with her face again. She wasn't down for long though. The huge man made a sound of surprise when her small fist collided with his stomach. He seemed even more surprised when she slammed her two fisted hands down on his back.

Kenshin and Aoshi watched amazed as she pinned the man down. She seemed to have immobilized the man, but he soon got his second wind. In a flash, the woman was the one pinned and immobilized. Aoshi, now alert again, was about to lunge for the man when he heard a resounding crack. Aoshi grimaced as he watched his best Champaign bottle free its contents on the skull of the aggressive man. The mysterious woman had seemed to get it out of nowhere and the man on top of her never saw it coming. "_Well_," Aoshi though, "_I guess someone finally found an occasion to open it_."

The blow hadn't been hard enough to kill her attacker, but he was certain to at least have a concussion. Blood to continued to flow over the man's shoulders and he remained unconscious. Aoshi looked at his assailant with raised eyebrows. Finally, she dragged those pools of endless green from her victim to look up at him. Her eyes widened a bit as if she didn't even realize that she had had an audience in the car. The two simply stared at each other for a moment.

Finally, Aoshi broke the spell and pulled a handkerchief out his pocket. He held it out to her and she looked at it confused.

"For your nose," he said emotionlessly.

The woman brought a hand to her nose and felt the blood there. With wide eyes, she said astounded, "Oh, I didn't even know I was bleeding. Thanks."

Giving him a lazy smile, she brought it to her nose and threw her head back. Letting the blood flow back down her throat, she carefully climbed out of the car and began to walk off. The two startled men in the car looked at each other and then hurried after her.

Climbing out into the parking lot, they watched as she hopped onto a black motorcycle. Kenshin stood there amazed and at a loss as what to do. She started her bike's engine, but Aoshi grabbed her hand.

"Wait," he commanded, "We need to take you to a doctor."

"What on earth for?" she asked almost amused, "This isn't the first bloody nose I've gotten and it certainly won't be the last. Besides, what could a doctor do anyway?"

"You could suffer a dizzy spell and have an accident," Aoshi stated. "It isn't safe to drive at night. Especially, if you are wounded."

"Well, we don't all have the luxury of traveling in limbos, blue eyes. Some of us have to wing it to make it in this world," she said in a sassy tone.

Aoshi opened his mouth to respond when he heard the click of a gun. Reacting on pure instinct, he lifted the petite woman off her bike and threw himself on top of her. Bullets whizzed passed them as they hit the ground and Aoshi wondered what kind of people this little minx had tangled with. Waiting a minute, he heard the gun run out of bullets and he sprung into the air. Without any effort at all, he tackled the assailant and slammed the man's head against the gas station wall. The effect was immediate and the man fell into a deep and unwilling slumber.

Aoshi turned around to see the mystery woman hopping onto her bike again. He raced over to her to catch her before she took off. He rushed over to her ready to give her an ear full. Suddenly, any words he might have said left him almost immediately as warm, unfarmiliar lips collided with his own. Her kiss was chaste, but it was still enough to set his blood on fire. One gloved hand held his collar as she steadied him in place. Suddenly, his senses were filled with the taste of her.

Finally, she released him and he took a moment to catch his breath. He hadn't even realized that she had started her motorcycle again and was beginning to move. She gave him a cocky smile and tossed something into his hands.

"Thanks, blue eyes," she grinned, "I guess you're not just some rich boy, are you? Call me up sometime. I'm a journalist and detective of sorts, and your kind is always in need of people like us. See ya!"

And with that, she was gone as fast as she had appeared. Aoshi watched her leave as if in a daze. He stood there for several minutes looking like, at least what he was convinced must have been, a complete fool. Finally, he looked at the object in his hand. It was a sliver lighter with her name on it. Misao Makimachi. He marveled. Aoshi never marveled. Now, where had he heard that name before? Aw, well, it didn't matter anyway.

Breaking out of his trace, Aoshi suddenly ordered, "Come on, we need to leave here soon."

Kenshin, who had been silent until now, just smirked at him. "Sure thing, blue eyes."

Kenshin hissed from the kick Aoshi dealt him and the solemn man walked off.

'_Interesting_,' Aoshi though, '_Very interesting. Yes, I think we will meet again sometime Miss Makimachi._'

With a smirk, Aoshi tucked the lighter away in his coat pocket and walked into the gas station.

***************

Kaoru was so not a happy camper. It was only four in the morning and someone was already knocking on the door. Well, it was more like banging really. All right, she was surprised corpses weren't rising from their graces the noise was so loud. Looking at the old place, she was sure that the dojo had some hidden graves somewhere.

There shouldn't have been anyone there at this hour. The nearest neighbor was at least four miles away. Kaoru quickly cringed. She sincerely hoped that they didn't have the kind of neighbors that got up at the crack of dawn and just came over to visit. They wouldn't be visiting long if they did.

Yawning, Kaoru yanked open the dojo gate and got ready to yell at the person behind it. Her mouth slammed shut, however, when she meet of pair tired green eyes. Kaoru was shocked. Standing before her, was none other than her crazy best friend.

"Misao! I thought you were in Africa!"

The tired woman smiled and said, "I was, but that assignment is over now. Believe it or not, I'm working on a new story in Japan now. It's a real shocker, too. Um, Kaoru…. I was wondering… could I crash here for a while?"

Kaoru's thrilled reaction was to latch onto the smaller woman and practically drag her happily giggling across the yard. Misao's desperate pleas of "what about my bike?" were ignored and she was locked safely in the house. Kaoru happily ushered her into her bedroom and, worse, into the light. Kaoru's shout could be heard for miles.

"Misao Makimachi! What happened to your face?! I told you, no more FIGHTING!!!!!"

"Ow! Darn it, Kaoru! No it's started bleeding again!"

"Well, serves you right!"

Once again, animals scurried away in fear.

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Well, the first chapter is done and I expect some reviews! I honestly didn't originally plan to have Aoshi and Misao meet in this chapter. I also didn't plan to have Misao hit on him either, but boy was it fun to write! Although, most of this chapter didn't go according to my notes, so I'm guessing that the twists and turns of this story will be a surprise even to me. Yahoo!


	2. Chapter 2

Burning Flyer Miles

By Manx Maiden

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or its characters. I also owe many other fanfiction writers for the ideas that inspired this story.

Authoress' Note: I was so happy with the review turn out for the last chapter. My thanks to everyone who reviewed! Your support really helped speed this chapter along. It would have been done quicker, but I just moved and have no internet as of yet. I had to download this chapter at work and write it back at home. Because of that, I didn't have a lot of time to revise and correct grammar mistakes. Sorry. I have been working on my notes for future chapters and I can tell everyone that this story is definitely turning out to have a lot of twists and turns. The notes themselves are turning out great, so I am eager to get started on the next chapters. Hopefully, this chapter will meet expectation and I look forward to your reviews.

Plot: Kaoru and her little brother have just inherited a dojo in Japan. All goes well, until her best friend and famous journalist drops in. Soon, Misao has them tangled in a web of revolution, government conspiracy, and two dangerously handsome men.

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Chapter II

The Game Begins

The dojo was a steady and peaceful quiet. The only sound was the rhythmic patterns of birds singing brightly outside the windows. Warm sunlight flowed throughout the dojo highlighting the both the dust and splendor of the ancient building. All was a steady calm as silence floated through the place like a whispering river. Even the animals had sensed the stillness and returned to their dens around the gated school. All was a utopia.

"Kaoru, you ugly moron!"

…..Or not…….

The bedroom door nearly being torn off its hinges shocked the two women inside from a heavy sleep. Kaoru woke from her futon with a start and she tried to steady her furiously beating heart. Misao's reaction was less dramatic. She merely lifted her head up to stare at him with sleepy eyes. Throwing a pillow at his head, she rolled over and slid her eyes closed again. He threw it back and hit his mark, but she didn't even move in response. Their other sister was far from subtle.

"Yahiko! What are you doing waking us up at this hour?" Kaoru yelled once she could breathe again.

"What do you mean "this hour", ugly? It's a quarter to eight! I'm going to be late for school on my very first day! Oh, hey, Misao."

Misao merely saluted with her back turned while Kaoru's temper roared to life.

"No, it's not! My alarm was set at a seven! It hasn't even gone off yet!" she defended.

"Then, it's broken because it's seven forty-five!" he said in frustration. "I though you were awake already!"

"No, it isn't!" Kaoru argued, "It's……"

Her statement was cut off when Misao tossed Kaoru's cell phone at her. Glancing at the time, Kaoru began to shout and threw her alarm clock against the wall shattering it. Flinging the covers off herself, she sprinted towards the bathroom.

When he saw this, Yahiko shouted in fear, "No! Kaoru, don't! It will take you forever to get ready! Who cares if you smell! We have to meet the principal at eight thirty!"

He kept pleading for her to come out, but his cries were in vain. He wanted to stop her, but he would not go into that bathroom for any reason other than life or death. He did not need that mental image swimming around in his head. He had enough of a need for therapy as it was.

Suddenly, the door flew open five minutes later and he was shocked into silence. Kaoru's hair was brushed, her make-up on, and she looked like she was fresh out of the shower. How on earth was that possible?

"Misao! All my dress clothes are still packed! Can I borrow a suit of yours?" Kaoru asked calmly.

Misao merely gave her a thumbs up and Kaoru disappeared out of the room. Yahiko was still shocked and Misao was now asleep again, so silence rained. Yahiko fell into a new state of shock when he saw Kaoru come back into the room dressed in a sky blue suit and pumps. Grabbing his neck, she hulled the frozen boy out the door and into the jeep. All the while, Yahiko was muttering "how" and "when". The jeep screeched away and the only sound left in the dojo was Misao's snoring.

***************

Aoshi finally woke up that morning around eleven. After taking a quick shower, he sat down at his writing desk to review the newest reports and requests. Aoshi always had new letters and papers on his desk to read. They ranged from simple things as unimportant as giving approval for an Oniwabanshu wedding to giving an order to storm one of Shishio's barracks. Aoshi read each one carefully though, and had been known to even refuse something as simple a certain food to be ordered if he found fault with the proposal. Therefore, all his members would spend hours correcting and rewriting their reports and requests. Their Okashira was certainly a strict man, but he did have a reason for every motion he passed or denied.

One of these reports, however, was the kind he dreaded. Though he never revealed it, Aoshi hated these kinds of reports. They required neither approval nor rejection. They simply were what they were. All he could do was acknowledge it and send his regards to the family. What pained him even more was that this had been a rather simple mission, too.

The operative's assignment had only been to observe Shishio's latest political program. Not to take action. This man had had a rather large family too. Aoshi had wished him to stay out of this mission for that very reason, but he was the only one they could really send. The Oniwabanshu would take care of his wife and five children of course, but they could not erase the pain of their very heavy loss.

Sighing, Aoshi read over the report with a fine toothed-comb as he did to all the others. His eyes narrowed. What was this? This operative had died defending a woman? Aoshi scowled. He knew what this meant. This woman had been no agent of theirs, so the operative had gone and brought a civilian into Oniwabanshu business. He was lucky he hadn't survived the mission. This was one of the things he did now tolerate from his men. _'Cheating on his wife and betraying his children. Why that little……'_

Aoshi's thoughts were interrupted when Hannya bowed and entered the room. Hannya was the only member of their group that could enter their Okashira's room without his permission. He had been Aoshi's second-in-command since he had taken leadership when he was only fifteen. Hannya had soon become something else that very few men in Aoshi's position could afford. A close friend.

"I take it you have read Tomo's report, Lord Aoshi?"

"Yes, Hannya. Where is the woman?"

Though she did deserve it, Aoshi could not just hand her over to face the danger was no doubt in. She was a civilian after all, and it was the Oniwabanshu's original purpose to protect civilians. Besides, she would no doubt have forbidden knowledge about Tomo's mission. That could not fall into the hands of the enemy. She had to be protected. Of course, Aoshi would just see to it that she was protected far from Tomo's family and himself.

"She has disappeared, sir."

Aoshi frowned. "Then, she is already in Shishio's hand. Or the Tenken's."

"No, Okashira. They are searching for her too. She seems to have disappeared completely with Tomo's report, I might add."

Aoshi suddenly got a sudden feeling in his gut. Although it might be a long shot……

"Hannya," Aoshi ordered, "Return to the library and continue your cover."

Surprised, Hannya asked, "For how long?"

"Until, I say otherwise. Thank you, Hannya. That will be all."

Hannya began to leave the room when Aoshi spoke again. "Wait," he commanded.

Hannya simply turned to face him. "Where is Kenshin?"

Hannya smirked from inside his mask. "He has left. He was hungry."

"He is a thrill seeker," Aoshi corrected, "That is why he has been shot so many times. He likes to flaunt in front of Shishio's spies."

Hannya smiled a sad smile and bowed. He took one last look at his Okashira before leaving the room. Aoshi might criticize Himura's freedom, but Hannya knew the truth. Aoshi envied it. For the child who became a man before his time to lead the ninja of the shadows, such an open life was forever beyond his reach. It was a world that few could ever venture in to. Therefore, Hannya feared that solace would forever be the young warrior's soul mate.

***************

Kaoru's pace was slowed from exhaustion. The lack of sleep was really taking a toll on her. All the cleaning, unpacking, and picking up furniture, she and Yahiko had done yesterday wasn't helping either. Her brain graved coffee and that was why she was currently braving the crowds on food. She had parked her jeep several blocks back. In this part of Kyoto, there was very little parking and it was nearly impossible to find. She had no energy or tactical skills to keep from crashing into angry city drivers, so she thought it was better to brave crashing into a pedestrian or a pole.

Thankfully, she hadn't hit either yet. In fact, she had made it all the way there without a collision. She happily stepped into the café and smelled the sweet aroma of baked goods and flavored coffee. The line was very long and she soon had beautiful caffeine beverage in her hands. She had always preferred plain coffee. Misao had also liked the fancy flavored stuff, but she never saw the point in it. Coffee is coffee after all.

Kaoru sighed at the though of Misao. She had been expecting her sister, but she was not supposed to arrive for another week. Misao had sent most of her major belongs ahead of her and Kaoru has simply put them in a corner. She had expected Misao to arrive with some sort of danger filled story as always. What she did not expect was for Misao to burst into the dojo bleeding. Well, okay…

Kaoru was being a bit dramatic, but Misao had been in fight and come in just before dawn. What sister wouldn't dramatize?

Misao had been too tired to say more than a few words last night. They had agreed to discuss it after Kaoru came home from meeting Yahiko's new principal. _Now that_ had been so much fun. The man had turned out to be a total pervert. Thankfully, he had sent Yahiko out of the room before her brother had noticed. He had always been over protective of her and Misao. It had gotten even worse since ….. Kaoru quickly switched her thoughts back to Yahiko. He may be only eleven, but he was an excellent fighter like the other boys who grew up in their old neighborhood. Most grown men would be fools to take the kid on.

She didn't help matters any though. Apparently, she had been too tired to pay much attention at the suit she had chosen. Misao was well-known to pick clothes that, well….. outlined her curves very nicely. While most of her wardrobe consisted of tight leather jumpsuits, pants, dresses, strapless tops, her suits were actually the outfits that commanded the most attention. Misao really didn't mean anything by the way she dressed. It was just…. Misao. It was a habit from her rough childhood that had carried over to womanhood. She lived everyday to the fullest and refused to dull herself down for anyone. It was just her.

But it was not Kaoru. While Kaoru was a rather thin woman, Misao was absolutely tiny. The blue suit Kaoru was wearing left very little to the imagination. The collar came across her chest in a heart shape and exposed more cleavage than she would have liked. The shirt was well above her knees and Kaoru had hung her purse over her legs for modesty throughout the hour long meeting. While she was sure that nothing vital could be seen, that pervert had been staring at her legs the entire time. She was going to kill Misao.

Kaoru was tired and felt like she had been kit by a truck. She had been whistled at by most the men in Kyoto and she couldn't remember just how many of them she had made sopranos. She was almost tempted not to pick up lunch. Her stomach growled in protest though and she remembered that there was no food in the house. She sighed in frustration and considered if she should punish Misao by not feeding her. Well, she shouldn't be that cruel….. Should she?

Kaoru sighed. She really wanted to go sleep now.

***************

Misao was annoyed. Misao was tired. Misao was injured. All three of these things come together to equal one thing: a very moody Misao. Once again, all the local animals had run away in pure terror. Misao had been shouting at things all day long. She had yelled when something would break. She had yelled at that gunk growing in the fridge. Now, she was just yelling out of anger.

When Kaoru had called her that morning, she had promised to bring Misao something home to eat. Misao had just said that was fine, but didn't know why Kaoru had to bring something home for them to eat. However, Misao got her answer when she had decided to do something nice for her best friend. Misao had cleaned the entire kitchen and therefore discovered that the only food in the dojo looked like it had been there for years and bugs had made their nests in it. Yuck.

Misao had braved the fungus, the slime, the grime, and that random brown stuff growing in the guest bedroom; and had cleaned much of the dojo from top to bottom. She had found many recognizable insect species living with them in the dojo. She was sure that if she had waited to clean, then the dojo occupants really would have had "bed bugs". However, Misao was certain that she had discovered some new species of bug. She was _so_ not going to catch them to prove that theory though.

Kaoru and Yahiko had only gotten as far as to clean their bedrooms, one bathroom, and some of the kitchen. Misao had managed to clean all but a few rooms within about four hours. It was a big dojo, too. Thankfully, Misao did buy an energy drink at the gas station last night. Hey, give her caffeine and she could do anything at lighting speed. Best of all, Misao had managed to clean the dojo from top to bottom. That Kaoru would love it.

She knew that the realtors' had said that this dojo was over a two hundred years old, but Misao could tell that it had been well kept threw the generations. Kaoru had told her via emails that no one had lived here since before World War II. She could tell that someone had been coming here and recently. It had brand new plumbing and electricity. True, the stove was old and the place was filthy. It wasn't falling apart though, so Misao was sure that someone had been caring for the place. Nana had always wanted to move back home to Japan. Before she died, Nana had been planning to just that to get everyone out of that neighborhood. She must have repaired this old dojo after all.

Misao cringed suddenly. She was covered in gross stuff. And, no…. she didn't want to know what exactly all of it was. Sprinting into the shower, the hot water poured over her and she cringed. The wound in her side ached. She hadn't told Kaoru about that injury. It was horribly deep and already disgusting to look at. She was sure that grime she was not washing off her body hadn't helped it, but she doubted it would be infected.

She cleaned it out regularly. She knew it would leave a scar though and she would have to explain it to Kaoru, if they went swimming anytime soon. It was still really sore, but there was not longer a sharp shooting pain when she breathed like at first. As she got out of the shower, she wiped the steam off the mirror with a towel. She gazed at the wound that went across her stomach. She was lucky. Very lucky. A man had died for her, so that this slash would be all the injury she got. As a matter of fact, it was already beginning to close up. The hospital she had fled to had sewn her up nicely. Of course, she had also tested the stitches out as she climbed out the window and down to the ground.

Suddenly, Misao heard Kaoru's jeep pull up. Throwing on some clothes, she came out to greet the clearly exhausted woman. Kaoru walked into to the kitchen and plopped her purse on the counter. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She simply sat like that for a few minutes as Misao watched her from the doorway. Kaoru suddenly opened her eyes and her head snapped up. Glancing around the kitchen, she fell into a stunned silence. She got up and began to walk around the dojo. After about five minutes, she appeared in the kitchen again and just stood there. She stared at Misao in shock.

"Like it?" Misao asked as she leaned against the doorway.

"Wow, Misao," Kaoru said in amazement, "It looks…. Wow."

"Yep," Misao nodded, "I demand lunch for all my hard work. That and a massage from a well-built Swedish guy."

Kaoru tossed her a coke and they both sat down at the now clean table. They dived the food between them and ate in silence. Both ladies knew that their upcoming conversation was going to be a tough one. Misao had been cheery of course, but Kaoru knew that look. The last Misao had that look had been she told Kaoru they her fiancé had betrayed her. Kaoru knew this had to be bad. It would be hard. But… She didn't have the patience to wait anymore.

"Ok, Misao! Out with it! What's going on?"

Misao looked at the now empty take out box in front of her. After a minute or two, she looked at Kaoru with serious eyes. She wouldn't tell Kaoru about the stomach. She didn't need to know about the many yahoos with swords. She would tell her everything else though.

Misao sighed and began. "About a month ago, I was sent to Tokyo to report on a new string of orphanages that President Shishio is setting up. He's spending millions to upgrade the horrific conditions of Japan's orphanages and foster houses. He's going to give them a better education and a better environment over all. It's gained huge international support and charity money has been in from all over the globe. I was sent to report the progress of the program. Believe it or not, this was supposed to be a relaxing story for me to cover. It was supposed to be sort of a paid vacation."

"I was put up in the best hotels and given the best food, but as usual I used an alias so that I would get the true story. The strange thing is, I check all of Shishio's records and dealings in the matter. He was doing everything for these kids that he said he would. He lied about nothing. These kids were happy and thriving. I was almost about to pack up and go home. This one old woman approached me though, and she changed everything."

"She said that they had taken her grandson and had placed in a home. I researched into it and found that she had Alzheimer's disease. I dismissed her claims and packed up to leave. Then, the next day she was dead and no one seemed to know anything about it. That caught my attention, needless to say, and I looked into it further. The woman really did have Alzheimer's disease, but she was right about the boy. I did some digging in the underground and found out that Shishio has been taking kids from any adults that have some form of mental problems or from adults that no one would believe. He's been doing it for months now."

Kaoru looked at her with a shocked and horrified expression. "What on earth does he want with them?"

Misao continued in sad voice. "He is making an army. He's creating soldiers that he himself can raise and instruct. His model for these soldiers is his apprentice and personal assassin, the Tenken. The Tenken is public knowledge, but the underworld knows him well enough. He's the one making sure that no one discovers Shishio's dirty little secrets. I know his real name, but he is young. He's about our age and I do know that his childhood was very hard. Both before and after he met Shishio. I know that Shishio is guilty of many other sins, but this is by far the worst. He's just making the boys into his mindless soldiers, but you want to know what he's planning to do with the girls."

"When I found these things out, I was approached by this man. He claimed that he had been secretly poisoned and that he was dying. Even, if he some how survived, he told me that he family would be harmed if he returned home. He refused to tell me who he worked for, but he said that they would help me. In his final hours, he asked me to help him rescue two kids that were going to taken that night. I agreed and the two of us fought off masked. They were ninja, Kaoru. I kid you not. They were modern day ninjas."

"The children were saved and only I know where they and their parents are hiding. My only ally in this was killed as he blocked a bullet meant for me." Her voice took on a confused tone. "He said that I had greater ties to his organization even more than he did. He told me to go to the library in Kyoto and look for an old man. I'm suppose to tell him that "the bell tolls" and the "winter comes" and then just leave. He said that I should talk to a man named Aoshi Shinomori."

Misao took a drink from her coke. Kaoru sat silent as a statue for a while. She looked at Misao as if gazing through her soul.

"There's more?"

Misao looked down. "Yes, the man supplying Shishio's weapons is ….."

"Enishi," Kaoru finished in a whisper.

Misao nodded. She watched as Kaoru got up and turned to stare at the window at the setting sun.

"Kaoru…I…."

"You know, Misao, I moved out here to get away from that man. I moved out here to give Yahiko an actual future. One that the slums we grew up in can't provide. But, I guess we can't escape the world."

"Are you in then?"

Kaoru turned around with a cocky smirk on her face. "Yes. I helped create Enishi. I, unknowingly, made the "White Tiger" what he is…. But… I have brought down mafia bosses before and he will be no different. It being him will just make it easier."

"Shishio is a modern Asian nazi," Misao accused, "He will stop at nothing. Nothing other than total rebellion would stop him."

"I agree. You hid your face from his men though, right?"

Misao nodded. "Still, I think I shall stick to traveling at night just in case."

"That would be wise," Kaoru agreed, "I think we should bring this Aoshi Shinomori into our court though. At least, until we know more about him. By the way, what's was the name of the guy who gave you all this information?"

"His name was Tomo."

*************** 

Yahiko hurried through the hall to his locker. He first three classes had been uneventful and boring. He seemed to be surrounded by mostly rich preppy kids. How annoying. Yahiko hated spoilt kids who had everything. True, thanks to their Nana's inheritance money he was technically one now….. But, still! He wasn't some spoiled brat! And he certainly remembered what it was like to have nothing.

Yahiko shook his head. He had met one cool group of kids though. In fact, they were all going to meet at the Akebeko for lunch. Now, that was one of the perks of going to a rich school that he didn't mind so much. It meant no cafeteria food. That was always good.

Yahiko put his books in his locker and slammed it shut. He hurried down the hall. The Akebeko was about ten minutes away and he didn't want to be the last one to get there. His dead run came to a complete stop, however, when he reached the front school yard. Right in the middle of the yard, was a group of five boys surrounding a pretty girl about his age. She looked terrified and one of the boys was right in her face.

Yahiko wondered how the boys were even at their school because they looked like they were in high school, not in junior high. The boys had to at least be fifteen. Yahiko wanted to know what their problem was, so he got a little closer. He didn't to get involved if it was some stupid boyfriend/girlfriend fight or something. He didn't care much for drama.

Suddenly, the girl was back-handed and sent sprawling to the ground. Okay. Now, Yahiko was going to get involved. Racing across the school yard, he placed himself between the girl and the older guy who had been yelling at her. Shooting them a rather furious look, he turned around and picked her up off the ground.

"You okay?" he asked. He knew it was stupid. The hand print on her face and the tears in her eyes clearly screamed she wasn't alright. But that was what all human beings asked at a time like this. Besides, he said it more to keep her calm than anything.

She surprised him though with her reply. In a very steady voice, she replied, "I'm fine."

"Hey, brat!" a voice called him from behind. Turning to face the girl's attackers, he looked at them with a bored expression.

"What, prissy?"

The older boy snarled at Yahiko's comment. "Who are you calling prissy, kid?"

"You pansy. It takes five of you to bully only one of her. Then, again," he though of his sisters, "I guess that would really depend on the woman herself, right?"

The girl blinked in surprise at his comment. He continued, "So, what's your story? Did she trip you and make you drop your lunch? Did she scuff your new shoes? Or did she just reject when you made a pass at her?"

The older boys' eyes widened at the eleven-year-old's words. The older boys all looked at each other in bizarre amazement. Who was this kid?

The obvious ring leader who had slapped the girl spoke up. His words weren't as confident as before, but he still glared at Yahiko.

"She stole my mother's purse!"

"She gave it to me!" the girl defended herself.

"Yeah, right!" the boy scoffed, "Why would she give the maid's daughter a designer purse?"

"The strap was broken and she knew I needed one! Ask her, if you don't believe me!"

Now, Yahiko understood. This girl was no girly rich broad like all the other girls he had met so far. She was probably a scholarship student whose mother worked three jobs to keep her in this school. He also knew that whatever this boy did to her he wouldn't be punished for either. His mom might give the poor maid's daughter an old purse out of pity, but she wasn't going to believe her accusations against her son. Who knew, this guy might try to pull other things with this girl as got older too.

Yahiko snarled. Like heck he was. "You pansy, are going to go back to your fancy school and leave her alone. You are also not going to hassle anymore when she comes to see her mother at your house."

Laughing, the teenager asked, "Really? Now how are you going to make me, squirt? Besides, if you cause any trouble I'll bring it back on the little wench's head. Her mother doesn't have to work for us. She can always go back to "working" for that American guy next door. He always did have a thing for Asian women."

He burst out into laughter and was soon joined by his idiot friends. Yahiko narrowed his eyes and the girl behind him clenched her fists together. Yahiko could tell that she was insulted and angry. Who wouldn't be?

Suddenly, Yahiko looked behind to see that she was gone. He didn't know who was more surprised; himself or the ugly ring leader who she just kicked in the nuts with her sharply heeled toes. Now, Yahiko was very impressed. The once shy girl had just become Xena, the Warrior's Princess's newest rival. She stood there with brown eyes alive with fire and feminine body shaking in rage.

"I think," she began in a growl, "That it is your mother he would prefer more. Most men want easy women after all."

Yahiko watched her in amazement. The fist coming at her face snapped him out of his amazement. It was one of the ringleader's followers and Yahiko caught the boy's wrist easily. The boy began to scream slightly as Yahiko began to apply pressure on his wrist. Finally, Yahiko flicked it off to the side, snapping it. He heard the girl gasp and the other boys stared at him in shock. While the boy with the snapped wrist writhed on the ground in pain, the other boys charged at him.

The first boy came out him from the front and Yahiko sent him to the ground with one punch and a bloody nose. Another boy came out him from behind and Yahiko caught the foot that was aiming for his head. Flipping the guy on his butt, he took the opportunity to yank the boy off the ground and slam him against a nearby bench. The last lackey managed to grab Yahiko from behind, but one jab to the stomach mixed a black eye and that guy was out too.

Finally, the annoying prissy ringleader who had started all this had managed to recover from the girl's power kick. He went down easiest of all. One blow to the jaw and a few broken teeth finished finally shut his mouth. As the boy lay on the ground, Yahiko grabbed his neck to lift his head up and whispered something slowly in his ear. The injured boy's entire body shuttered and he nodded enthusiastically. Clapping was suddenly heard, and it was the first time that Yahiko realized he had had an audience. Apparently, most of the people walking nearby, many of his fellow students, and even some of the teacher's was applauding him. Apparently, those guys had been a real pain in the butt.

Yahiko turned to the girl and found her glancing quickly between the boys on the ground and him. He finally got to take a good look at her. Her cinnamon colored hair was cropped short and accented those large innocent eyes of hers. She was certainly pretty and looked like the type of girl most boys would worship from afar. Yahiko never was the sort for that kind of sappy moping.

"What's your name?" he asked not wasting a second.

She smiled at him, and said, "I'm Tsubume. What's your name?"

"Yahiko," he said smirking back. "At the risk of sounding really cliché, do you want to come with me and meet up with my friends at the Akebeko?"

Tsubume's smile broadened and she nodded. They walked side by side down the street towards the smell of fresh food. Not knowing, that a pair of impressed amber eyes had seen the whole thing.

***************

Hannya sighed as he sat the wooden table reading genealogy books. He personally found the subject boring, but it was part of his cover. After all, what else does an old man read in library all night? Hannya still couldn't figure out why his Okashira had wanted him to maintain his cover. The mission was over and Hannya couldn't figure out what hunch Aoshi could possibly have. Hannya placed his genealogy book down and closed his eyes. He knew someone was watching him. They had been for some time. It was just now, however, that his senses alerted him to the delicate foot steps coming towards him slowly.

"Excuse me," a feminine voice spoke, "I'm a little confused. Do you know when the library closes?"

Hannya opened his eyes and he turned to face her. His eyes widened in bewilderment. By the sound of her walk and the tone of her voice, he had expected a lady of some wealth and distinction to be addressing him. This young woman was dressed in a black leather jump suit that showed off her every curve. It was strapless and had shorts that showed most of her legs and had sent up the heart rates of the few other men in the room. Stiletto boots adorned her feet and a black leather jacket shielded her from the chilly weather outside. Her hair fell around her shoulders in crimped locks and she had the emerald eyes of an angel.

"Um, yes," he stuttered, "It closes in ten minutes actually."

"Oh, really? Well, I hope that I'm not bothering you, but do you know where the poetry section would be?"

"Well, I believe it's actually sorted by authors. I don't think there is a poetry section in itself, miss."

"Hmm…" Her face seemed to fall in disappointment. "You wouldn't by any chance know who wrote the poem "Who Whom the Bell Tolls", would you? I need it for a class project."

Hannya's eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, miss. I don't know."

She sighed. "Well, no use looking for it, if there's only twenty minutes left then. Besides, it's getting colder out side by the minute and I have to walk home. I knew I should half driven my car here. It's already freezing out there. Winter is coming, you know."

Hannya's eyes widen slightly and she smiled prettily at him. She thanked him and walked out of the library. He was in shock, but he hid it well. He slowly made his way out of the library and out of public sight. Hannya recognized that girl from somewhere, but he couldn't place her. It didn't matter anyway. He would learn everything about her soon.

Hannya pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. When he heard a voice on the other line, Hannya said, "Okashira, your hunch was right. There's has been…. an unexpected turn." Hannya stared at the piece of paper she had slipped to him. He read the address of the meeting place to Aoshi. Hannya's senses were now on high alert and he was very aware that his could be some type of trap. Still… Hannya smiled to himself. He couldn't wait to see how well his tough Okashira could keep his disposition iced over in light of _that_ woman's obvious inner fire.

***************

"Alright, now I have programmed my laptop to pick up Misao's signal. We will should see everything she sees and hear everything she hears," Yahiko informed Kaoru.

"Awesome," she said, "So, don't go to the bathroom in the trees again this time, Misao."

"Hey," Misao's voice sounded over the computer speakers, "I couldn't hold it anymore. Drinking while waiting for that weapons dealer down in Peru was not one of my smartest ideas."

Kaoru and Yahiko were seated in a black van lined with selves holding all of Yahiko's electronic equipment inside. That had bought the van to aid in undercover work, and the brother and sister were sitting over Yahiko's laptop to monitor Misao's up coming meeting. Misao was armed as usual, but their contact's connections were still a mystery. Misao might just need back up, if there was trouble. Besides, Yahiko just loved put his computer skills to the test.

Yahiko had been told the details of Misao latest mission when Kaoru picked him up that day from school. He had been as eager as the girl's to aid in the fight, and had insisted that they use video surveillance for Misao's meeting that night. He wondered how many other preteens his age had such interesting quality time with their families as he did with his. Then again, espionage really isn't on the list of most modern families as possible activities. They must be really bored.

Yahiko had told Kaoru and Misao about the fight. They had reacted the way he though they would. Kaoru said that she was proud of him for protecting Tsubume and glad that he had not seriously hurt someone. Misao had congratulated him on his quick win and told him "way to punch". They had both warned him not to draw to much attention to himself though. They were still in hiding after all.

They all waited for about an hour and Misao was quickly losing her patience. She finally stuck her face up to the tiny camera on her jacket and whispered into the hidden microphone in her sleeve.

"I Am So Bored! I don't think he's coming."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. Why did Misao need something to keep her occupied all the time?

"You know as well as I do, that these meetings take time, Misao!" she huffed.

"Seriously, chill out weasel."

"Yahiko, I swear I'm going to kick your butt for that moment," Misao hissed.

Yahiko simply rolled his eyes and Kaoru ordered her to have patience. Have patience?! She was the one freezing out on the cold roof! They got to sit in the nice warm van. Okay, sure, maybe she should have worn a little more cover than the jumpsuit, but it was her style here! Although, she could have worn the leather dress with the flowing skirt….. Blast it.

Misao learned back to on the handle bars of her bike as she draped the rest of her body across the seat. She one leg over the over and put her hands behind her head as a cushion. She closed her eyes and focused on the sounds of the city. Kaoru had never liked the city. She had always preferred the country life style, while Misao and Yahiko were true city rats. Forget wide open plains, she would take the chaos of the city any day.

After another twenty minutes or so, she heard nearly silent foot steps coming close. The owner stayed silently in the shadows. Misao flipped her body around to a sitting position with her legs still crossed. She placed her hands on either side of her body to balance herself on the seat of her motorcycle.

"You have some information?" the man in the shadows finally spoke.

"Yep, and you can come out, you know. I don't exactly bite," Misao replied with a cocky smile hidden by darkness. "I take it then, that you are Aoshi Shinomori?"

"I am," he replied in a smoothly controlled voice.

Finally, the man stepped into the light. A look of surprise came across Misao's features.

"Well," she breathed, "Hello again… blue eyes."

He stared back at her with a shocked expression.

"You…."

***************

End Notes: I had written so many versions of this chapter in note outlines. This resembles none of them. In fact, I went back and gutted the original chapter I wrote because I didn't like the events that took place. This was actually a bit slower than I planned, so it's mainly another set up chapter. I did especially like Yahiko's scene though. I noticed that in most fanfics he was always sort of in the background, so I plan to give him a real role in this story. Also, I'll give you a little peak into the next chapter. Misao comes face to face with a somewhat smitten Tenken. To speed up the next chapter, read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

Burning Flyer Miles

By Manx Maiden

Chapter III  
Queens In Place

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or its characters. I also owe many other fanfiction writers for the ideas that inspired this story.**

**Authoress' Note: Hello all! Long time, no see. First off, I want to let everyone know that my current schedule has not allowed me to have this story completed the way I had planned to. I promised that I would have the entire thing completed before I loaded more chapters up, but time is scarce thanks to being a full time student and working two jobs. I had some of the other chapters drawn out, but they're not in their final forms yet. There is one good thing about this though. This way I can include all the ideas given to me by my reviews. Writing with the reader's input is always more fun anyway.**

**Before I begin the chapter, I want to say thanks to all my reviewers. Thanks to delp, kagome's heart, Iskra revoir, white_fang_585, Gregularreader, Kristy-chan, rubyred517, and Hikari-Kawaii, for all the support and praise. I also have two other readers in particular I want to address.**

**To Ozie:**

**Thanks for the critique. First off, I am really bad at leaving out or switching key words and verbs when I write. I do revise my work, but I have a tendency to see what I think is written down. My brain knows a sentence that I wrote really well, so I usually don't see what is actually written down on the page. These chapters are usually loaded in a hurry too, so sorry about the bad grammar everyone. Oh, I did check those spellings and you were right. I've been reading the manga for so many years that I totally space out on the proper name spellings some times. I'm really glad somebody caught that!**

**Yes, Yahiko is way too mature to be an eleven-year-old kid. He's actually thirteen. Sorry, it I wrote that in wrong or didn't explain it very well. Of course, I also agree that he's too mature for a thirteen-year-old boy as well. There's actually a real reason why he is so mature though. It is part of the plot, so I can't reveal it. Let's just say that his behavior isn't exactly natural.**

**I also wanted to explain why Kenshin doesn't speak English. The time line for the characters' lives in my story is somewhat the same as the manga and the anime. Kenshin still ran off to join a revolution that happened about ten years before Shishio took full power. Instead of being in school, Kenshin was out killing his enemies. He didn't need to learn English, but he did learn Korean, Vietnamese, and a little bit of Mandarin for his assassination missions. Although, that is a great idea to tease him about his bad accent. I did include that in this chapter and there is more teasing to come. Oh, here's another funny side quirk. Almost every other character in the story can speak some level of English, so Kenshin is going to be in the dark a lot of the time during group discussions. Thanks for the review!**

**To Famelis Ly:**

**Thank you! I was wondering who was going to catch that! To put it simply, Misao is both Kaoru's sister and her best friend. Misao is just not her biological sister. I've explained a little bit more of Kaoru's past in this chapter. Hopefully, that will clear some of the mystery about their relationship. If it doesn't, the revelations about Misao's past in later chapters will. Thanks for catching that! **

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Aoshi marveled at the woman before him. He had never thought he'd ever see her again. He thought that she was some kind of hired gun. This was not good. This woman had seen him with Kenshin. He and Kenshin were hardly seen together in public. In fact, they were hardly ever seen in public period!

This woman knew who he was. She had to have been following him to run across him so conveniently that night. He despised taking women prisoners, but this time there wasn't a choice. This was very bad. Not only would she be a wildcat to just get near, but the way his blood raced at the mere sight of her would make all the harder to capture her.

"You look as if you are planning my end." Aoshi cursed internally when her naturally low voice sent shivers up his spine.

"Perhaps," he stated void of emotion. "Do you have a reason that I shouldn't kill you?"

The smiled that followed made the feisty woman look like a Black Widow who had just locked eyes with her new mate. Aoshi's felt his ever battle ready instincts awaken at that smile.

"As a matter of fact, Okishira….." she purred, the title rolling off her tongue, "I am about to save your war."

"Fascinating. I don't believe I've heard that line from one of Shishio's assassins before."

"I'm one of Shishio's assassins, huh? That would be quite a twist. Still, I think you're made a mistake. Don't you remember the lighter I gave you at the gas station, blue eyes? You did look at the name inscribed on it, didn't you?"

Suddenly, Aoshi's mind was spinning into action. He began to put two and two together. He knew of Misao Makimachi. What person involved in politics didn't? She was a young and rather rash journalist that seemed to make whole governments fall at her feet.

'Of course,' he thought. How could he not recognize her? He should have known after seeing the leather clothes, cocky attitude, and listening to her cunning mouth. (Her very lovely cunning mouth.) These were the trademarks that she was known for.

The Scarlet Kunoichi was the nickname given to her last time she landed in China. That little scandal she revealed in Beijing three years ago alerted the Asian world to her presence. When her Japanese-American heritage was made known, international eyes were set upon both Japan and the U.S.

"Everyone was wondering how long it be before you came to tour your ancestral home, Miss Makimachi."

"I always did want to see Kyoto at night. I heard it was quite a view. I didn't like Tokyo much though. Too many guns."

"I'm not surprised. I didn't have a very pleasant stay last time I went there either."

"I have something for you from a friend."

"Why didn't he bring it himself?"

"As Okishira, don't you know already?"

"Indeed, I do madam. Yet, I cannot understand how he came to die. He was one of my most highly trained men. Nor can I, understand how he came to disobey my orders to bring it about either."

"Perhaps, the orders were flawed."

"Excuse me?" he demanded, not sure if he had heard her right.

"You," she continued with sudden sparks in her eyes, "Ordered him back to base. There were four families in danger from Shishio and you ordered him home. Why? Didn't he tell you about them?"

"He did. He was simply needed elsewhere."

"That's it? That's all you're going to say about almost ending the lives of over twenty people?!"

"I was not the one hunting them."

"No, but you did have the power to save them. Not being willingly to do it is just as bad as actually hunting them down."

Aoshi had no idea why he was suddenly defending himself from a stranger. But that look in her eyes….. He had seen those eyes of disbelief and anger before. All were from his victims and that look was reversed for a monster. It was for someone who had just ended your world and destroyed your life as you knew it. He couldn't stand to see her looking at him like that.

"I knew that he would have died if he had stayed. My operatives have mostly been pushed out of Tokyo. Shishio's spies hold that town hostage. Tomo was one of only five. The information he had in his possession would have been used to save perhaps hundreds of people down the line. Which is more important Miss Makimachi; a hundred or twenty?"

Her reply was instant. "Why can't it be both?"

"Forgive me, then. I was not aware that you were going to sweep in to save the day."

Misao glared at him.

"Now, how did my agent die again?"

"He took a bullet for me. Sorry, I couldn't have died instead so he could follow your orders as his duty so preciously demanded."

Ignoring the sting her insult caused him, he continued, "His death is a pity. I am pleased that at least one of you made it out though. I am puzzled though. How did you make contact with him in the first place?"

"I followed the sent of a traitor among Shishio's men," she explained, "The trail led me to both him and Shishio's child hunting scheme. We teamed up and for three weeks worked as partners. Finally, we aided in the escape of the four families and met up with Shishio's men in the process. A fight ensued and he took the shot meant for me."

"You weren't… lovers, then?"

Now, she looked confused. "No. Why would you think that we were lovers? Wasn't he married? I mean, he even gave a note to give his wife if he died."

With the new light shed upon the mystery, Aoshi's respect had returned for the man. His respect had also surfaced for the woman before him. Tomo had been a ninja after all. For him to entrust Misao with his last mission's work, she must be a woman of character. Not to mention, that the pang of jealously he wouldn't admit to was gone now.

"Forgive me. I was misinformed of the nature of your relationship," he apologized, "May I have the information, then?"

"It's not with me. I will bring it to you. You know the new hot spot for Shishio's traveling friends?"

"Very well. It is, in fact, one of my next targets to dismantle," he stated.

"Good. Meet me there tomorrow around noon. Ask for me by appearance. I'll be wearing red."

He raised an eyebrow, but agreed. Bowing slightly, he turned to leave and headed towards the roof's edge.

"Wait, blue eyes" she called. "I do have one request for payment."

Aoshi's eyes narrowed slightly, but he motioned for her to continue.

"The night Tomo died, he and I snuck into a mansion owned by Shishio. I found out that there were some documents his secretary, Houji, had filed away that could have shed some light on his more shady treaty agreements. There were only a handful of Shishio's guys there, so we assumed that there wasn't going to be much of fight. We were stupid. The second we made it in, we knew that we were screwed. The place was crawling with some of Shishio's best ninjas."

"Tomo finally made it into Houji's office. I heard him having a fight with someone. I made it past the guards and ended up walking into a bullet. That's when Tomo jumped in front of me…. "

She paused for moment. Then, she managed to find her voice again.

"It was a woman about my age that fired the shot. She looked somewhat gothic. She had the thick, flowing black hair. The hazel eyes that glowed in the moonlight," she said dragging her voice over every word, "She even had the whole Cleopatra eyes going on. You know, she was basically the Vixen that all you bad boys dream about."

Aoshi raised an eyebrow.

"I was already wounded, so she kicked my butt pretty bad. Luckily, I kicked her tail too. She retreated and that's when I grabbed the files we came for. Funny thing, she never dropped her name. I would really like to see her again. So, I want to know who she is."

Aoshi's face was his usual controlled expression. "Did she use a pair of sais?"

"Yep."

"She's killed many of my agents in the past. She usually stays put in Kyoto though. She's known as the Sakura Habu."

"What kind of name is that?" Misao asked.

"The Sakura Habu. The Silk Dragon. The Scarlet Kunoichi. Who knows why women today are given these titles," Aoshi remarked.

"Ha ha ha. Okay, mister I-think-women-shouldn't fight, your old world attitude is noted. So, what does this chick exactly do for Shishio's corrupt regime?"

"I never said I didn't think women should fight," Aoshi stated, "I simply was pointing out that society gives you odd names."

"Point taken. How about answering my question then?"

"She doesn't really do anything."

"What?"

"She occasionally leads missions on Shishio's behalf, but she mainly stays here in Kyoto. She doesn't have a real position per say, but she does interfere in certain matters that she has an interest in. She is usually out hunting for an ancient katana that she is obsessed with."

"So, she has a lot of combat talent, but no real influence where Shishio is concerned," Misao summed up.

"No, she has great power and influence in the government," Aoshi corrected.

"Alright, enough with the cryptic ninja answers. What is she then? Shishio's lover? His long lost sister? Houji's mom? What?"

"Miss Makimachi, she's the Tenken's wife."

"Oh…. Wait! What?!"

*********************

The next morning was not a friendly one. The group had come back home late that night. Yahiko had crashed and Kaoru had gone to bed to both sleep and calm down. She was furious that Misao had never mentioned this Habu woman. She had gotten up this morning still mad, but slightly calmer than before. Yahiko was still asleep, but she found Misao still sitting in the same position at the kitchen table she had been in the night before.

"Wow," Misao said sarcastically. "She wakes."

"Barely," Kaoru corrected. "Did you stay up all night again?"

"Yep. I also found out a bit more about the vixen who tried to kill me," Misao sung happily.

"That's good. Now… Misao….tell me why?"

"Why what?" Misao asked not looking away from her laptop. Suddenly, she was assaulted by an army of flying hand towels and oven mitts.

"Kaoru! What the heck are you doing?!"

"Why didn't you tell me that you got in a fight?!"

"I did," Misao defended as she tackled Kaoru to the ground. "You saw the cuts. I told you that I tangled with Shishio's boys."

"I thought that they were just some lackey's!" Kaoru yelled from underneath her, "I didn't know that you were actually in a battle with a real warrior."

"I've been in them before!"

"You never lied to me before, Misao!"

Just then, Yahiko came stumbling into the kitchen looking like a zombie. Still tired, he yawned and stretched his arms above his head. Suddenly, he looked down and realized that his two sisters were struggling on the floor. Ignoring him, Kaoru was trying to get out from under Misao.

"…….Uh huh…….," he muttered slowly catching their attention.

"Well…… So who's going to pay for my therapy sessions?" he asked.

"Shut up, Yahiko-chan! Kaoru was attacking me with towels. I had to do something."

"Don't call me chan, weasel! Wait…. She was attacking you with towels?"

"I am not a weasel, brat!"

"Don't call me a brat! Seriously though, who attacks someone with a towel? Oh… wait, scratch that question."

"Yahiko, you have a dirty mind!" Kaoru scolded him. "Besides, I needed something that wouldn't leave marks."

"I'm a guy. What did you expect? And, you could have used boiling hot towels. That would have made it less lame."

"Thanks for the tip on how to torture me," Misao said as she and Kaoru finally got off the floor.

"Anyway," she continued, "If all homicidal family members will please accompany me to see Carlos…."

"You named your computer Carlos?"

"Yahiko, never question the methods of a writer."

Kaoru and Yahiko gave each other, and then her, a fearful look. Still, they bravely sat at the kitchen table and stared at the screen Misao had turned towards them.

"This is Lady Hina Seta," Misao announced.

"She looks like a witch….."

"She's hot."

"Yahiko! What have I told about gawking at our sworn enemies?!"

"Wait, so you can flirt with strange, dangerous men on planes, but I can't even look at a pretty girl in a picture from a news article?"

"It's not the same thing, Yahiko!"

"There was a strange man on plane?"

"It was nothing, Misao."

"No, Kaoru, it was something. Now, I want to hear about this strange, dangerous man on the plane. Or was it more than one man?"

"Misao, we have more important things to…."

"Was he hot?"

"Misao!"

Turning to her younger brother, she asked, "Was he hot?"

"How would I know?"

"Well, what did he look like?" she urged.

"I don't know. I was playing more attention to where he was putting his hands. I didn't really care what he looked like. She was seriously crushing though."

"Yahiko! I would have never…."

"Wow, Kaoru. One plane ride to Japan and you're already the most popular seductress in town."

"I am not, Misao! It was just a little harmless flirting!"

"Ha ha! You admit it then!" Misao grinned brightly.

"Okay, okay! I admit it, so can we get back to studying the woman who tried to kill you now?" Kaoru pleaded in frustration.

Misao decided to hold off the teasing for now. Kaoru could be deadly first thing in the morning.

Clearing her throat, she said, "Alright. I've talked to some of my contacts in the local underground. Plus, I've been researching the few written pieces on her…"

"You took off wounded to go talk up some assassins last night?!"

"You broke into the court house again?! They can put you jail for that you know!"

"It's okay mom. I used my new toy called a cell phone to talk to my large and rough friends. Thanks for your concern dad, but I also used this new invention called the internet to search for her. Hence forth, the computer you see laid before you," Misao explained slowly.

"Hence forth?" Yahiko repeated.

"Can I get back to my informative lecture, please?" Misao asked rapping her fingers on the table.

Misao took their angry mutterings as a yes.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yeah! Hina only appeared on the scene about three years ago. Our boy Soujiro was sent on an unknown mission to Okinawa by Lord of the Mummies, or a.k.a. the Emperor. He disappears for about six months and then reappears at Shishio's court with a beautiful new bride."

She continued, "No one, from Shishio to the guy who sells drugs in the ally has a single clue as to who she is. It is quite clear that she isn't exactly mentally stable though. It's not something that she seems to have been born with though. I think it's a result from some sort of trauma. She tends to break into psychotic episodes when men get a little too personal with her."

"Well, then her Cleopatra-style appearance is certainly off," Kaoru remarked. "So, how is she married if she goes nuts every time her husband gets close to her?"

"She doesn't," Misao answered her simply. "According to an inside witness, they actually are in love. In fact, they had eloped before anyone inside Shishio's government even knew about her existence. She was fifteen then and our beloved Tenken was eighteen. A true teenage romance."

"A weird teenage romance," Yahiko pointed out.

"True," Misao agreed, "She is known as the Sakura Habu due to her enjoyment of killing victims slowly while she looks them in the eye and smiles. A wide variety of poisons from her personal collection are her preferred method to kill off whoever pesters her."

"Lovely," Kaoru added.

"She is really good at wielding the sai daggers. Trust me on that one. She is even rumored to be on Soujiro' s level of skill. The scar across my stomach is a testament to that fact."

"Besides all that, there is only one other thing known about her. She isn't loyal to Shishio one way or the other. She's loyal to her man. So, if the rebels go after Soujiro, then she'll fight to the death for him. He'll fight to the death for her too."

"So, Shishio is probably really careful about how he treats her," Kaoru realized. "One wrong move and his best assassin would turn against him."

"Yep. I think that's the only reason why he hasn't tried to kill Hina yet. From what I understand, she doesn't obey his orders very well and has even argued with him in front of witnesses before," Misao told her.

"So, Soujiro's the main guy to take out first, then?" Yahiko wondered aloud. "I mean his is the mayor of Kyoto. He's the one who's got all the power in this town while Shishio holds power in Tokyo."

"Yes, and he is still the one warrior who would defend Shishio to the end," Misao stated.

"Then, we will need to capture his wife alive to get his focus away from Shishio," Kaoru said.

"Easier said than done. We will need a plan. We'll have to wait until I fully heal though," Misao replied. "Now, tell me more about this hot guy on the plane?"

Kaoru blinked in surprise. "Misao, how totally random was that? We were talking about something serious, but then you switch back to that guy?"

"Sorry! It's killing me though. I must have all the juicy details!"

"Girls," Yahiko said, rolling his eyes. Getting up, he walked over to the kitchen counter to pour himself a glass of milk.

"Okay. You win, Misao. I'll never hear the end of this, if I don't tell you," Kaoru sighed.

"No, you won't," Misao confirmed in a happy tone.

"He wasn't cute… He was more handsome… like a guy you'd want to get stuck on an island with. He was older and more mature than most men."

Misao urged her to go on while Yahiko made gagging sounds in the background.

"He was about my height. He had amber eyes and red hair."

Misao straightened at the description.

"He was really sweet. He only spoke Japanese though. I thought it was weird that he never learned English."

Kaoru giggled, "He tried to speak a few phrases though. He was so cute and funny. He sounded like all those stereotypes you see on TV. You know. The shows where Asians have that really bad accident and speak broken English all the time? Misao, what's wrong?"

"Not a thing," Misao said with rather sassy laugh. "I just found out who you're mystery man is."

"You did?" The remark had brought Yahiko's attention back to his sisters again.

"Well, he's a good guy for one. He's a bit of a bad boy. He's also a real rebel. Oh, and I kissed his best friend."

"What?!" Misao's two siblings hollered at once.

Ignoring them, Misao went on, "He had red hair, amber eyes,…oh, and a cross shaped scar that no one mentioned. Your plane pal is the guy that what at the gas station with Aoshi Shinomori. They looked like they knew each other pretty well."

Ignoring the fact that the hot guy of her dreams was now within reach, she ordered, "Oh, no you don't, Misao! I gave you the details about this Kenshin guy. You owe me details too!"

"Alright, fine. I was going to tell you anyway," Misao said with grin.

Yahiko decided he had enough of their girl talk. Walking out of the kitchen, he hollered, "I'll be in my room! Call me when the barfing session ends and you're ready to take me to school!"

Five minutes later, he raced back down the stairs. His sleepy mind had finally processed what his sisters had said. He was now in full brother mode.

"Wait! Hold up! You kissed Aoshi Shinomori?! And you flirted with his friend?! What is wrong with you two?! You're never leaving the house again!"

********************

Aoshi surveyed his crew as they sat around the conference table. He, of course, sat at the head of the long, rectangular table. Kenshin sat at his left and Hannya sat to his right. Hyottoko, Beshimi, and Shikijo, all sat in the chairs on Hannya's side in that order. All the attention of the men in the room, however, was drawn to a pretty woman standing in front of a projector screen.

The men watched with interest as Omasu gave her weekly intelligence report. She was the head of the international group within the Oniwabanshu. It was her first leadership position, but Aoshi had felt that it was a promotion that was long over due. Not only was she one of his top spies, but she also knew languages and cultures than anyone else in the clan. She was especially talented at blending into U.S. and British culture.

"We know," she stated, "that Lord Aoshi has already made contact with the Scarlet Kunoichi. We have just discovered something else though. We have reason to believe that the Silk Dragon is here as well."

"How do you know that?" Aoshi asked.

"We were informed by an old friend of the Dragon's and an alliance of ours that she is here in Kyoto. She just doesn't know where."

"Is she a reliable source?"

"Yes, my lord," Omasu confirmed, "She is the most reliable source in our rebellion."

The men nodded in understanding.

"As you know, we have tried to make contact with the Silk Dragon in the past. So far, we have never been able to actually track her to one place. We don't know what type of travel she arranged, who is with her, or even where she went to once she arrived. However, we do now know some key facts about her that were missing before."

"Thanks to our newest comrade, Mr. Sagara, we now know her story. The legends are true. She was raised with Mr. Sagara, Miss Makimachi, Li Ling, later Enishi, and various other troubled children in California. Her father was the very same Lt. Kamiya who took his pregnant wife and Mr. Sagara with him when he fled the war over twenty years ago."

She continued, "The young couple set up a foster house and dojo to give troubled kids on the streets a fair chance in life. They were well received by the community and respected by the local gangs that ran the neighborhood in Chinatown. However, they apparently rescued one young girl who knew too much and this got them killed."

"The girl was none other than Li Ling herself. After the massacre, she and Enishi went into hiding and he worked as a hired killer for a local crime boss. The Silk Dragon, or Miss Kamiya, was separated from her only biological younger brother when they entered foster care."

"The other children in their care went their separate ways as well. Must ended up back on the streets. They were reunited two years later, however, when the Silk Dragon reappeared at the age of sixteen."

"Where did she go for those two years? I mean, her parents were dead and she somehow managed to disappear from child services. Where was she?" Hyottoko asked.

"We don't know," Omasu informed him, "No one does. Not even Mr. Sagara knows where she went. We're not even sure who trained her. He father taught her to fight when she was young. We know that. Still, we don't know how she disappeared as young kendo student at age fourteen, and reappeared two years later as a warrior of revenge at age sixteen. We just don't know."

"How did she destroy Li Ming and Fujita's mafia empire in such a short time?" Kenshin asked.

"She played their heritages against each other. That was her first move. She was very cunning and managed to weaken the organization from the inside. She then cut off their allies and supplies. This took about a year. After that, she and the group of vigilantes that followed her began to tear the small empire apart."

"Where does Enishi come in?" Hannya asked.

"Mr. Sagara was not with her all the time that Miss Kamiya was active. What we do know is that she and Yukishiro Enishi definitely did have a romantic relationship. We have even proof of an engagement to support this claim."

"Kamiya had no idea what he was?" Kenshin asked.

"No. Enishi was one of the vigilantes that worked for her. He was never really her foster brother either. He always lived on the streets and would only visit the Kamiya dojo when her parents ran it. It was a war, so to speak, and things just happened. From what I understand, his true nature was not revealed until Enishi took the power that the mafia bosses she had killed once possessed. He used her," Omasu replied.

"Then, she would be of no use to use," Aoshi announced.

"I must disagree, my lord. She is indeed the key to severing Shishio's ties to Enishi. Enishi is obsessed with her and has been searching for her as hard as we have. Even without his affection for her, the Silk Dragon's cunning and intelligence as a leader is bonus to us alone."

"I agree," Kenshin said, "She's the one who knows Enishi the best. I will need her help to defeat him when the time comes."

"Why would she fight though?" Hannya asked, "What would she gain from fighting a battle for Japan? She's American after all."

"She's like this super-hero woman though, right? Doesn't that mean that she'll help protect the innocent and all that heroic stuff?" Beshimi disagreed.

"She's also supposed to be best friends with this Scarlet Kunoichi lady. We know that that leather clad chick was wounded. Hannya could tell the minute she came up to him at the library. You must have realized it too, Lord Aoshi. After the fight she had, she's got to be healing somewhere," Shikijo suggested.

"Where else would she go, but to her best friend's house?" Hyottoko added.

"Agreed," their leader cut in smoothly. "Do we have a photo of her yet, Omasu?"

"No, sir. We have not found one photo of her anywhere. Mr. Sagara does not have one either. We've already checked all the airports and harbors. This is a holiday weekend, so there is no way to track how she arrived here. Like Mr. Himura, she chose the perfect time to arrive her without being seen."

"Why here?" Kenshin wondered aloud. "Why now? What could she gain by coming to Kyoto?"

"We don't know. She will no doubt have her younger brother near by her though. She never leaves alone. We were given a description by Mr. Sagara. It was pretty general though, and he hasn't seen them in two years."

"What's the description, Omasu?" Aoshi inquired.

"She is of average height. She looks Asian. Maybe, long hair… Oh, and blue eyes…. Mr. Sagara said that they sparkled like…."

"Sapphires?" Kenshin asked perking up.

Everyone in the room stared at him blankly.

"Omasu, is Miss Kamiya kind by nature, but have a rather unpredictable streak about her?"

Now worried about the former Battousai's health, she said, "I guess…."

"Aoshi, remember the woman on the plane I said I met?"

"Yes…"

"It's her. Her first name is Kaoru, isn't it?"

"Yes, but how did you know that? I never said…"

"Omasu. I met her on the plane. I talked with her most of the plane ride over from South Korea. She didn't know a lot of Japanese. She said that she had custody of her brother and that she had just inherited a dojo here in Kyoto."

"Himura," she said, "There aren't many dojos left, since Shishio's government frowns on martial arts."

"Maybe she was lying," Beshimi offered.

"No," Kenshin corrected, "She wasn't lying. She was proud. She talked about how she wanted to open her own kendo school."

"Wow," Omasu said in an impressed tone, "She's a female warrior, hero, and now a kendo teacher. She's got my respect. Let me meet her when you find, okay?"

Kenshin smiled at her. "She wouldn't stay in the city. She'd want some place where she can hide in some seclusion. Especially, if she's hiding a wounded Misao Makimachi."

"There won't be many modern dojos outside of Kyoto," Omasu told him.

"Who says it has to be modern?" Hannya offered. "She did just inherit it after all."

"Okay, I'll start looking," Omasu agreed.

"You do that. Let me know what you find," Kenshin said as he stood up to leave. Grabbing his coat, he headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Aoshi asked him blankly from his chair.

"Out. If she's remodeling an old, country dojo, then she's going to need supplies. I know where she's going and I am the only one who's seen her face to face," Kenshin replied smugly.

"Someone should accompany you," Aoshi cautioned.

"I prefer to do this alone," Kenshin refused.

"This is no time to revive your plane flight love affair, Himura," Aoshi reprimanded knowing what he thinking.

Smirking, Kenshin fired back, "Omasu, did Aoshi tell you about his first encounter with Miss Misao?"

Confused, she looked to her leader. "You had met her before tonight, sir?"

"Met her?"

"Himura…" Aoshi warned.

"Yes, blue eyes?"

All the men in the room stared at them strangely and they were now slightly alarmed. Aoshi shot him a look that promised a world of pain for him if he continued.

"What? Didn't you tell them, Aoshi? You guys, should have seen him! The two of them were making out right there in the gas station parking lot."

Hannya raised an eyebrow in surprise and smirked. Beshimi and Hyottoko gave him knowing looks. Shikijo slapped him on the back offering a "way to go leader". Omasu's eyes were wide and she had her hand over her mouth to silence her giggling. Aoshi wanted to hide in a corner.

"See ya later," Kenshin said with a salute. Aoshi glared death itself at him and Kenshin walked out the door smirking. The news spread like wildfire that everyone's beloved and serious Okashira had made out with the beautiful, fiery reporter. By the time Kenshin actually got out the front gate, the news was all over their Kyoto base.

********************

Tension filled the limbo as it rolled down several streets and alleyways. Houji fidgeted nervously in his seat. He was sitting right across from the Tenken and his young bride. Arms looped together, the young couple sat as close as possible with joined hands. Hina looked out the window while Soujiro read a letter he held in his free hand.

Shoulder to shoulder, Hina occasionally laid her head against his chest and glanced at the letter, too. She soon got bored of reading, however, and would go back to staring out the car window again.

Sighing, she said, "Shishio is so long winded sometimes. Why can't he just say what he wants you to do? Does he have to explain every master plan of his down to the last detail?"

"You know, Lord Shishio. He likes to be thorough," Soujiro replied still reading.

"Why can't he just call you then? It would save paper."

"You can burn paper, Hina. It's better to write it down, then to say in a recorded conversation. Shinomori seems to have planted phone taps everywhere lately."

Hina rolled her eyes. "Forgive me. I know I shouldn't question the method Lord Shishio uses to deliver orders to you every ten minutes."

Soujiro's smile seemed to widen at her sarcastic tone. Both he and his wife seemed to be oblivious to Houji's discomfort. Houji had now come to fear this young couple even more than he feared Lord Shishio's temper. The two youths weren't afraid of anyone or anything. The days of Houji giving orders to the teenage boy who once served as Lord Shishio's assassin was over. The man that sat across from him was now a king, and the young woman wrapped in fur beside him was his queen.

When Lord Shishio had made Soujiro mayor of Kyoto, he had unleashed a very cunning and ruthless leader that no one knew had existed in the Tenken. The former assassin's independence was a shock to even Lord Shishio himself. While Soujiro had never out right defied him, he had openly disagreed with him on several occasions.

The first time this happened, had been the night he had shown up with Hina. Lord Shishio had objected to Soujiro's elopement and demanded that he divorce his teenage bride. They disappeared into Lord Shishio's office soon after that to discuss the situation.

Houji never knew what was said, but when they emerged Soujiro was never the same again. Soujiro got to keep his new bride. The boy was made mayor the next day and Lord Shishio once mentioned that it was a good way to keep Soujiro satisfied and happy. Soujiro was no longer the teenager that everyone used to tease and joke with. He was no longer Kamatari's "kiddo" or the boy Yumi used to push around. He now inspired as much fear as Lord Shishio did. The Juppongatana now followed his commands with the same obedience given to only Lord Shishio himself.

While truly frightening, Soujiro couldn't make Houji's skin crawl like his wife could. While looking rather gothic, she still gave off a seemly innocent aura to most. Her voice was usually a soft whisper, but her words were sharp and could cut through people like a knife. Like the smile of her deadly husband, her soft voice and calm demeanor stirred horror within the human soul when she decided to unleash her homicidal desires.

While Soujiro felt nothing about death, she found enjoyment in suffering and pain. She had a rather nasty hobby of poisoning anyone who insults her. She once confessed to him that she took pleasure in seeing their faces twist with pain. At least, Soujiro had the curtsy of just driving a sword through their body and being done with it.

Now, guess who got the pleasure of always being Lord Shishio's messenger to the happily insane couple? Why, it was always Houji of course. The last countless number of messengers had all met with a grizzly fate. Some of the messengers had angered Hina and died in horrible agony from poison or her very accurate sai daggers.

Others had been run through by Soujiro's katana after making a mistake or two in their mission. Still, Soujiro had savagely tortured others when they had upset his wife. So far, it seemed that only members of the Juppongatana themselves where safe from the couple's wrath.

"What do you think?" Houji asked the silent man nervously.

Folding up the letter, Soujiro slipped it into his coat pocket. "I'll contact Yukishiro about those grenade launchers tomorrow. I'd better talk to Kanyru's men today though."

Hina perked up at this. "I thought that we were going to take that ambassador and his wife on the tour of the army base today."

"I'm sure that the base commander can do that for us. We'll just send them our apologies and invite them to the mansion for dinner sometime," Soujiro suggested.

"If you want to, Sou. I'm not going inside Kanyru's hoar house though," she complied.

"I didn't plan on it," Soujiro agreed. "Besides, I have something for you."

"Oh, really?" she asked excited.

Soujiro smoothly reached over to the limbo door on his side and opened a small compartment. Reaching inside, he pulled out a jewelry case and turned back to face his happy wife. Smiling even wider than usual, he lifted the top open to reveal a beautiful crafted pink Habu dangling down off a shining gold chain.

Squealing in excitement, she took it from his hands and held it up to the light. She joyfully watched it glitter before flung her arms around Soujiro kissing him. Releasing him a few minutes later, Houji nervously watched her bounce around like a child with a new toy. She loved it when people played on her new nickname, so naturally she was thrilled with her rather bizarre gift.

"Happy Birthday," Soujiro offered kissing her forehead.

"It's so pretty!" Hina exclaimed. Holding her hair back, she turned slightly to allow Soujiro to drape it around her neck.

Kissing her neck after he closed the clasp, he added, "I've also made reservations at the Akabeko tonight. We'll have the private room near the entrance that you love so much."

She hugged him and laid her head against his chest. The two were in a happy state of bliss and Houji was afraid to interrupt it. He had to though. The fate of the empire really did depend on it.

Clearing his throat, he steeled his courage. "Soujiro, I was informed that we have some unwelcome visitors that arrived in your city today."

Hina and Soujiro both looked at him almost curiously.

Houji continued, "I don't know where they are, but I am certain that the Scarlet Shinobi and the Silk Dragon are at large in Kyoto."

"Scarlet Kunoichi?" Hina hissed as she sat up. "That's the slut that gave me the scar across my chest. How long have you known that she was here, Houji?"

Taken aback at her new mood, Houji confessed, "I was told just before we left the mansion."

"You mean that didn't tell me right then? Why did you wait?" she demanded.

"Soujiro was quite clear that nothing was to come before your present."

"Sou, you were going to hide this from me?"

"Of course not," he replied. "I had no idea that this was his news."

"Well, I want that leather clad cow's head on a stick!"

"Calm down, Hina. We'll hunt her down and then you can your revenge," her husband vowed. "Let's just focus on your birthday night. There's no need to ruin our plans just because of one soon-to-be dead reporter, now is there?"

Pouting with playful eyes, she purred, "Do you promise that I can be the one to kill her?"

"I swear it," he said taking her in his arms again.

Snuggling against him, she turned her pleased smile to Houji. Very unnerved by the action, Houji was forced to simply smile back.

"I forgive you, Houji," she pardoned him.

"Happy Birthday, Hina," he managed to croak back.

The Tenken and his bride cooed and kissed the rest of the way to Kanyru's mansion.

**********************

Kenshin had been shopping in the hardware store for almost three hours now. He had been down every aisle twice. It was to the point that he was just about sick of anything having to do with home improvement.

He knew that Kaoru would have to come to this store sooner or later. He didn't know when though, and he couldn't just stay in the place until closing time. He was tired of waiting and the staff was already starting to stare at him strangely. Finally, he decided to give up and just tap the cameras. That way, he could observe the customers at home and he would still know when Kaoru came in.

Suddenly, he got a glimpse of raven tresses and the caught the scent of jasmine. Abandoning the cart, he followed the raven beauty to the paint section. He pretended to look at paint samples while she shopped in the aisle across from him. He kept trying to catch a glimpse of her face, but customers, wheeled carts, and paint cans, kept getting in his way.

Finally, he saw her face. He was instantly drawn in by those deep sapphire jewels again. While she couldn't see him, he could see her. It was Kaoru Kamiya all right. He had to admit that she looked even better than he remembered.

Apparently, the other men in the store thought so too. They kept walking by just to stare at her. Kaoru, for some reason, didn't even seem to notice. She was quite content to stare at the shade of "butterscotch" paint she held in her hand. Kenshin suddenly wanted to know who in their right mind would give a paint color that name.

Kenshin followed her from a distance throughout the store. If she knew that she was being followed, then she sure didn't act like it. He was slightly surprised that she hadn't realized that he was watching her. Her skills of perception were rumored to be rather amazing. He began to wonder just how depleted they had gotten over her last few months of peace.

He soon found himself following her out the door. She was still pushing a cart full of supplies that Kenshin was sure amounted to over five hundred dollars in cash. He watched from among some cars as she piled each of the items in the trunk of her jeep. Memorizing the license plate, his eyes took on a predator's gleam as she closed the trunk and left the cart in the parking spot beside her.

Unexpectedly, she locked the jeep and began to walk away from it. Surprised, the former assassin followed her steady walk with silent footsteps. Although he feared he was often following too close, Kaoru never looked his way once. Weaving in and out of the heavy stream of people, she sailed gracefully through the holiday tourists and streetwalkers that bustled along the city sidewalks.

Assuming that she was headed to another shop, Kenshin was in no hurry to keep up with her. Trying to throw off any suspicions she might have, he let her get several yards away from him in the crowd. He soon realized how stupid this move was.

Looking around, he realized that she vanished from his vision completely! She wasn't anywhere near him now. The mob of people made it nearly impossible to track her further. Mentally kicking himself, he ducked off into an alley. Planning to scale the rooftops, he hid from public view and hoped he good pick up her trail again.

Seeing a local fire escape, he hurried to it and climbed up the first steps. His mind didn't register the swing of metal until it was too late. The pain in his head confirmed that he should never have dropped his guard. Kenshin cursed his carelessness and fell from the latter with the world spinning around him. His mind tried to make sense of the world, but it was no use. The darkness of a dreamless sleep consumed him.

********************

The sounds that filled the air were not what you would expect. As Misao climbed, jumped, and surveyed the city from the roof tops, no one below even noticed her. They seemed to have no clue of the dangerous world around them. There were no gun shots, angry shouts, or sounds of street riots.

All Misao could here were the sound of children playing, people chatting with friends, and cars cruising along. It was relaxed time of day and everyone seemed to just be flowing through life.

Misao was actually in one of the more upscale sections of town. Most of the roof tops she was traveling on belonged to wealthy families with pleasant reputations in Kyoto. No one would ever suspect that the hell hole she was traveling to even existed here.

Deep in the heart of this neighborhood, lay a building an eloquent as the home of a wealthy doctor and his family. In reality, it was the home of Kanyru Takeda. He was a local black market dealer and flesh merchant that specialized in selling young women to very select clients.

This house, however, was one of his lower prostitution houses that catered to Shishio's men and Kanyru's own allies. It was kind of like a guest hotel. Thankfully, the owner was not home very often and left it to his stupid cronies to run the place. Shishio's men weren't often there during the day either because they did want to draw the public's eye to the place.

Misao's presence there was more of a calling card for Kanyru. She and Kanyru knew each other well from their days back in the Chinatown slums. He was once a low level punk who killed the right people to get noticed by Yakuza leaders in Japan. Thus, began his rise to power.

Kaoru had been his worst enemy and Misao herself was the nightmare that still haunted his dreams. He would no doubt recognize her description and alert Shishio. Kanyru was a main smuggler for Shishio and threatening him would instantly make her target.

This would then promote her to a major player in Shishio's mind. The bigger a player you are in the game, the more influence you have to bargain with.

First things first though, she had date to keep with a certain Okashira. Finally landing on top of Kanyru's infamous hotel, Misao easily landed on her feet in an ally just to its left. Hidden in the shadows, she removed the long leather coat that hid her very revealing outfit.

Dressed in nothing but black heels, light make up, red leather short shorts, and a red leather bra top; she waited in the shadows as a black car with faded windows pulled up to the house. As she watched, the car pulled around back and let out about four women dressed in clothes like hers. The back of the house was easily hidden by trees, insuring that no one would see such trashy girls in such a classy neighborhood.

She had found out on the streets that the pimp with these girls was sloppy. He never paid attention to the girls he took out or brought back. Some girls had escaped that way, and he himself was almost killed for the mistake. He was a real sucker for the Herrin the gangs sold and was often high on the job.

Without any problem, Misao slipped in easily behind the women and was herded into the house by the men at the door. She was instantly brought into a different world than the one outside. Smoke and the sound of perverse pleasure filled the house. The women walked by wearing fake smiles and gazes filled with far off and dead hopes.

Through out the house, men played cards, laughed, talked with flirtatious women, and were lead into rooms of pleasure. As Misao walked, she easily spotted the hired guns throughout the place. In reality, none of them were real threats. She did recognize some of the men that she thought might be undercover agents, but she saw nothing solid to prove it. This was going to be easy.

Suddenly, one of the hired guns grabbed Misao's arm. Nearly ripping the arm off, he dragged up two flights of stairs and down several hallways. Not putting up a fight, she allowed herself to be herded like cattle.

As she was hauled down one hallway, a man did catch her eye as he walked by. She could swear she had seen him before. He had short brown hair and was barely taller than her. The women in the halls stayed away from him and he gave off the hint that was not interested in them.

Several clearly armed men followed him at a distance. It was his face that captured her attention though. His eyes were a bottomless pit of light blue and his smile was an empty one that radiated madness. She saw no emotion there and instantly knew who he was.

'Crap,' Misao thought as she saw him look her way. Thankfully, he didn't look at her for more than a minute. As Misao was drug past him, she was able to catch a few between him and one of the men behind him.

"Shishio wants up raise the prices…."

That was one….

"No more taking on new girls, the Oniwabanshu has its spies everywhere now…."

That was the only other line she got. Misao did breathe a sigh of relief though. She had gotten the gist of the conversation that Soujiro was leaving. Misao could take on the other men in the building, but she was not healed enough to take on Soujiro just yet.

Finally, the man dragging her brought her to halt in front of a white door. Yanking her in front of him, he snarled at her.

"This man," he stated, "Has asked for you personally. He is important to the boss and will be coming and going periodically. You'll stay in his room for the next few days. He likes pain and you will do whatever he wants. Understand?"

Misao nodded.

"A word of advice. Do your best to make him happy. The last two girls didn't last long with him."

With that said, the man opened the door and pushed her inside. She instantly saw the chains, knives, and other instruments the man had laid on a nearby table. Sitting on the bed, was a tall man with his face hidden in shadow.

*******************

Kenshin's brow crinkled when he first felt the draft. Looking down, he realized that he was no longer wearing his shirt or shoes. His instincts began to kick in again as he glanced around the room. The only breeze was from a nearby fan. The room smelled of rotting wood and carpet. Bugs scampered across the floor without a thought for the human hanging from a pipe in handcuffs above them. Kenshin knew where he was.

He was in an abandoned, run down building probably somewhere downtown. Looking over to his right, he saw the reason why. A few feet away from him lay a table with various knives, needles, and container of something he couldn't name. Whoever was holding him captive, didn't want anyone to hear him scream.

He suddenly realized that blood was still trickling down the back of his head from where the pipe had him. He still felt slightly dizzy and knew he had a concussion.

Rubbing his sore head on his arm, he felt a piece of cloth placed right over the cut. His torturer was apparently merciful enough to bandage his first wound. This sent Kenshin's mind in a whirl. Since when were Shishio's men so generous?

His excellent hearing finally picked up the sound of someone breathing. The only light in the room was a large lamp that hung from the ceiling. Just beyond the reach that light, a lone figure sat directly in front of him watching his every move. No, this was not one of Shishio's men.

Smelling her jasmine perfume, he growled at how stupid he had been. He had raised his guard around her, but not enough. The fact that she was female buried in his brain, he hadn't seen her as much of a threat. While he did not doubt her ability to fight, he had never actually encountered a woman who could main and kill as coldly as a he could.

Despite the rumors, he couldn't picture her as the nightmare of mafia bosses. He couldn't envision her as the terror of the American underground. However, the woman in the shadows watching him had no doubt done this torture many times before. She could torture him and feel nothing just as he himself could torture another man.

Kenshin knew that she was used to being underestimated. Not only because she was female, but also due to the obvious compassion in her mannerisms. That softness in her voice and eyes threw people off guard.

In those moments he could imagine a sweet little girl fluttering around her father's dojo. He could see the kind heart that she possessed, but could very rarely show. What he had not seen was that she had once been like any other little girl. He knew all too well that any little girl could become a woman of rage and hatred if truly driven over the edge.

Given the right amount of betrayal, abuse, and violence, any woman could become a demon that wanted only hell for her abusers. This was such a woman who terrorized the gangs of America's Chinatowns. She didn't want revenge for simply her own self. She wanted to claim some form of justice for all those who couldn't claim it themselves.

This was the woman who became a criminal to viciously defend her home and family. This was a woman who was used to winning by constantly being underestimated. This was the woman that few men had lived to see. This was the woman watching from the shadows right now with such frigid, unforgiving eyes. He wanted to test those eyes.

"Does it bother you?" he asked suddenly in a cocky voice.

At the tilting of her head, he continued,  
"Does it bother you, that they gave you such a feminine name like "The Silk Dragon"?"

Raising an eyebrow, she kept her dazzling sapphire eyes trained on his amber ones as she walked into the light. Now three feet away from him, she smirked slightly.

"No…," she purred in a way that sent his blood racing, "I always thought it rather amusing actually. How funny that the word "Silk" could send such shivers up a man's spine."

"Huh. I suppose it is… Kaoru…. May I call you Kaoru?"

High heels clicking against the floor, she began to circle around him like a lioness cornering her prey. Her dangerous gaze never left his hard and callous one.

"Call me whatever you like. It doesn't really matter after all," she replied smoothly in her broken Japanese.

"Now why is that, Kaoru?"

"Because I brought you here to torture and kill you, of course. Names really aren't needed."

"But names make it all the more personal, Sapphire."

"I thought you were calling me Kaoru."

"But Sapphire matches your eyes.  
…..And your temper, I suspect."

"You haven't seen my temper yet."

"Now that is frightening."

"Do I frighten you often?"

"Constantly, Sapphire."

"Constantly? How long have you been following me? Since the airport?"

"What can I say? I just couldn't stay away."

"Obsessive, aren't you, Battousai?"

"Me? You're the one who can't keep your hands off me. I mean….. my, my…… removing my shirt just to enjoy the view. That's very scandalous, Kaoru."

"I thought of removing your pants, too."

"Well, Kaoru…. Your attraction is stronger than I thought. You really must have some control…"

"There are so many more….tender… areas down there which can be used to make men talk. You'd be surprised how many men spill their cuts after I hack something off there. It's really rather affective."

Kaoru came to a stop directly in front of him. She came to stand but barely inches from his face. Strands of their hair began entangled in the room's only breeze.

Kenshin stared into her frozen eyes.

Kaoru stared back into his molten gaze.

The two gazed into each other's souls.

And in that moment, two lives were irreversibly connected.

"Tell me, Kenshin, who are you?"

"Who do you think I am, Kaoru?"

"Perhaps, as dangerous as I am."

"Incorrect, Sapphire."

He leaned his body down as far as he could. He leaned down until their lips were almost touching.

"I, in point of fact, am more dangerous than you, Sapphire," he whispered in a low tone.

"That," she whispered back, "I would have to see to believe."

"I am also something else, Sapphire," his voiced added in an even tone.

"Really, Kenshin? And that would be?" she asked smoothly.

"The coin that tips the scales of the dragon."

The echo of metal breaking was Kaoru's only warning to jump back. The pipe Kenshin had been working on during their entire conversation had finally given way. He had been stalling. He has distracted her. She was furious.

Still within his reach, he easily swung the surprised Kaoru around and threw his handcuffed hands around her neck. Pulling them tightly against her neck, he began to apply pressure.

"The keys, Sapphire."

Fury filling her at his demanding voice, she slammed her pointed heel into the soft skin of his toe. His instant hiss of agony motivated her to slip her bruised neck from his loosened grip. Bringing her leg up to his eye level, her kick sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Not until I'm done with you, Kenshin."

Growling, he twirled his body around and her balance was gone in an instant. His legs made swept the fiery woman off the ground. He put all his weight on top of her to gain the advantage. This wasn't a real fight yet. Fight to the death or not; Kenshin not about to seriously injure any woman. Besides, both of them had a chance of dying in a true hand to hand fight.

Kenshin instantly regretted his actions though. He saw her expression of rage when he pressed his body on top of hers. She misunderstood his actions. He simply wanted to hold her down, but she was thinking more deviously than that. Kenshin cursed himself because he knew that flirting with her earlier was only confirming her false assumption of him.

Before he could have reasoned with her. Now, he could see it in her eyes that her mind was going into survivor mode. Now, she was going to fight with everything she had. Kenshin cursed himself again.

*****************************

'Hell no!' Kaoru decided as she began to verbally call Kenshin every swear word in the English language.

She easily buried her knee into Kenshin's groin causing his body to rise up. Bringing an elbow back, she felt blood pour out of his nose when bone hit cartilage.

As he lay on the floor in agony, the furious woman flipped up in the air and over to the table the knives lay on. Grabbing all five, she used her sensitive hearing to lock on to his pained breathing. With swift and well-trained motion, the blades whizzed through the air before she had looked at her target.

To her frustration, the hurt man ducked for the first two that whirled towards his head. The third aimed for his neck he deflected with a flick of his cuffed hands. The forth aimed for his chest he caught. But, hah! The fifth dagger hit its target as it sailed into his thigh piercing through flesh and muscle.

"Kaoru!" he shouted hoarsely as the pain started. "I don't want to fight!"

"What do you want, Kenshin?"

Desperate to end a fight that was already getting worse, he shouted, "I am the one who killed Enishi's sister. I am the one they call Battousai."

Searching his eyes, she saw that he was telling the truth.

"Enishi told you about me."

"Yes," she replied, "He said that you ruined his life."

"That's true. But the way he say's Tomoe died is not true. It… was an accident."

Kenshin didn't know if she would believe him. He didn't know if she would trust him. His own wife had died on his blade. He had never meant it to happen, but it did. Could another woman ever trust him again after that? He waited for her judgment that he knew was sure to come.

"I'm not trying to hurt you. And I wasn't intending to fight you when I was following you. I need an ally that can help me defeat Enishi. You're it. I'm a close comrade and friend to Aoshi Shinomori. I'm also in league with the rebels that you and Misao are now working with."

"I know all that," she replied smoothly. "I am slightly confused though. How can I help you?"

"That depends, Kaoru. Do you still love Enishi?"

"No," she said sharply, "He betrayed me and everyone I loved. He is a dangerous man and he belongs in either a padded cell or coffin."

"You and I both know how powerful he is, Kaoru. We couldn't go after him now. Not with all the allies he has now."

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"Help us take down Shishio first. You have something that none of us have, Kaoru. You have the ability to inspire and unite an army against a common foe. No one so far in the rebellion has that much popularity with the people."

"The Japanese people don't even know who I am, Kenshin. I'm an American, not Japanese."

"But your father was Japanese and the people do know who you are. In America, you were a vigilante. Here, you are viewed as a hero in the Asian world. Though no one speaks of it, you are secretly admired through out the far east."

"Together with Miss Misao, the two of you will finally convince the people of Shishio's tyranny. You two could reveal the corruption. Plus, you have another advantage."

Listening, she carefully asked, "What that's?"

"Enishi is still obsessed with you. If Shishio were to directly target you, Ensihi would cut off all ties with him. Enishi is his main weapons supplier and financial support. Take away Enishi and Shishio is left with only one leg to stand on."

Kaoru was quiet for moment and only the sound of their breathing could be heard. She stared at the floor. Finally, she looked back up at him.

"What about Li Ling?" she asked.

"She is a hard one to predict, but her love for Enishi should keep her at bay for now. If you die, Enishi will fall apart. She would never hurt him that way."

"Kenshin, Enishi is bound to get over his obsession for me eventually. Like all good stalkers, something I do will send him over the edge. What happens then?"

"Well….. Don't send him over the edge until we defeat Shishio."

"You are putting to much faith in your war, Kenshin. ….And in me."

"You're our last option, Kaoru. Besides, I've heard that you've done the impossible before."

"Kenshin…?"

"Yes?"

"How many will die, if I don't help?"

"Truthfully ….thousands more. Maybe millions. That is, if he is able to launch war on a worldwide scale."

"What if we fail?"

Kenshin stared her down hard. "Then, we will all die along with half the nation."

Kaoru stared back him with those frigid eyes again.

"One condition."

"Yes, Kaoru?"

"It is not negotiable."

"What is it, Kaoru?"

"Whether we win or lose my family all must have a safe place to run to. Either here in Japan, back in America, or to somewhere else."

"Agreed. Kaoru, you do know that if Shishio achieves war capability then he will attack the U.S. first, right? You always get rid of the toughest warrior first. Along with the U.S., he will target England and China first as well."

"Yes," Kaoru said, "I know. But, right now, he's also butchering his own people in Japan. That's the problem to take care of first."

"Are we partners then, Kaoru?"

"….."

"Kaoru?"

"…Yes. Yes, we are."

"Alright then. Tell me, Kaoru, how do you feel about parties?"

**********************

Walking towards him, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, you like pain?"

"Well…." The man said rising, "The man I'm pretending to be did. He was quite the sadistic lunatic."

"I take it by your tone of voice, that his death was not quick."

Aoshi Shinomori said nothing as he walked towards her. Without a word, he held out his coat to her.

"What's that for?" she asked confused.

"I refuse to speak to you while you are wearing that, Miss Makimachi."

"First off, it's Misao. Secondly, I didn't know that the great Okashira of the Oniwabanshu was embarrassed at the sight of a clad woman."

Rolling his eyes, he declared, "The look of a prostitute …..does not suit you…..Misao."

"Well, that's good to know, Aoshi. May I call you Aoshi?"

Taking the coat to appease him, she wrapped it around herself securely. This guy was strange, but at least he appeared to be on the up and up. He was hot, too. Ah… Why did she have to keep thinking about that?

Not waiting for her to put the coat on, Aoshi walked over to the table and flung the various instruments of torture on the floor. Swinging a brief case on the metal surface, he opened it to reveal several documents and a disc.

"This," he stated in a smooth voice, "is a copy of an extremely important file from Shishio's private computer."

"What is it?"

"That, I do not know. It's encrypted. From what my sources tell me, your brother is very good at computers, correct?"

"Yes, he is. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you know that. Hey, don't you have people working for you that can do that?"

He stared in her eyes. "Many. However, there are none currently at the level of skill your brother possess."

"Okay. So, what is the other thing you wanted to discuss?"

"You will be guarded."

"Aoshi, I'm touched," she said dramatically.

"You will build a pool."

"Okay… With what? The money I'm now earning from glamorous new job here or the money I constantly pull out of my butt?"

He glared at her. "You will call this number tomorrow morning," he ordered handing her the card, "for a crew that will come out nearly all day long. They will guard you during the day and another agent will arrive at night."

"Oh, so you're paying for my new pool. How generous of you, Aoshi!"

"Are you never serious about anything?"

"Of course, I am. But being serious all the time is no fun." In a low whisper, she muttered, "And you certainly look like you could use a little fun."

"At night," Aoshi growled in an irritated tone, "the agent will stay hidden in your house."

Misao smirked. "You don't have a clue where we are, do you?"

He was silent.

"Alright, so who are these men who are going to live in my house?" she said letting him off the hook.

"These agents will be your contacts. From now on, it will too dangerous to contact you in person myself."

"This phone," he continued holding up a red cell phone, "is your link to me. Push the O key on the phone and it connects directly to me. It is for emergencies only."

Misao slipped the disc into her top along with the other papers Aoshi handed her. Opening up a secret section of the brief case, Aoshi revealed two perfectly crafted clocks.

"Consider them gifts from the Oniwabanshu. The men downstairs with an earring in their right ear are mine. They will begin shooting five minutes exactly after I leave. This floor is up to you to clear out the men here."

"What about the girls?"

"A clean up crew will be right behind you to get the girls. You will be escorted by my men into a blue car waiting outside."

Misao picked up one of the clocks and admired it. With a satisfied look, she loaded it and then grabbed the second one. Aoshi quietly watched her with an odd expression in his eyes. He looked away, however, when she returned his gaze.

Misao's forehead crinkled in confusion as she tried to read him. Giving up, her eyes took on a sad hue. Setting the clocks down, she reached back into her top again. She pulled out some papers sealed together by a rubber band and held them out to Aoshi.

"These are the papers Tomo and I got from the mansion. I don't know what they're worth, but he did and I suspect that you to do. The… bottom one… is the letter to his wife. I haven't read it," she solemnly. He took them from her grasp and put them in his coat pocket.

Turning now unreadable eyes on her once again, he declared, "You have not yet stated the conditions for our agreement."

"Condition One. My family will be protected."

"I can guarantee it. What's the second condition?"

"It's by far the most important, Aoshi. It has to do with my brother. Here's the short story. Two years ago, Yahiko and Kaoru disappeared for two years in foster care separated from each other Neither one has ever revealed where they were or what happened to them."

"My concern is for Yahiko though. I suspect that he worked for the mafia boss who killed our parents. I don't know what happened, but they did something to him. His speech patterns and mannerisms aren't normal. When he's angry, he's like a different person all together."

"Forgive me, Misao. But, he is a young man with no father and an abusive past. He was forced to watch his two sisters suffer while he was helpless. He is bound to be confused and angry."

"That's not what I mean! I find him in odd places of the house sometimes during the day and he has no memory of going there. His reflexes are quicker than they should be and his hearing is nearly inhuman."

"I will look into it. What is your last condition?"

"I want to know who my parents were."

Aoshi blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm an orphan," Misao explained, "I was an infant when they died. I was born in the U.S., but my parents were born somewhere in Japan. I tried to trace them a while back, but I hit only dead ends. I want to know who they are."

Understanding now dawning, Aoshi replied, "I agree to your terms. Call that number tomorrow morning and my men will arrive around noon."

Seeing Aoshi turn to leave, Misao cried, "Wait!"

Looking over his shoulder, he waited for her to speak again.

Reaching for the ties to the coat that was currently swallowing her form, she asked, "Don't you want this back?"

"No," Aoshi commanded to stop her removal of the garment, "I will get it back shortly."

With that, he left and closed the door. Misao tied the long leather coat around herself tighter. Listening, she waited for the first gunshots to go off.

Meanwhile, Aoshi stepped out back into the sunshine and into his waiting limousine. Hannya was waiting for him inside and looked at his Okashira strangely. After a few minutes of Hannya's staring, Aoshi gave him a look that silently ordered him to say what was on his mind.

"My lord," Hannya asked confused, "Where is your coat?"

********************

The room was dim and covered in shadows. The only light was in a small corner that seemed as if it wanted to hide from the darkness. It was a simple office lamp that sat on a small oak desk. The path of the light was only strong enough to illuminate the paper lying directly underneath it. The identity of the reader was hidden from view.

Saito approached slowly and came to stand directly behind the reader's chair. His eyes were used to this drab light and he had no trouble making it around the other furniture in the room. Without making a sound, he lit a cigarette and waited for the person in the chair to speak. Smoke filled the room for nearly ten minutes, before the stoic silence was broken.

"Do you have any news to report?" a soft feminine voice asked.

"Yes," came Saito's calm reply. "The "Silk Dragon", as you call her, has been reported to be in Kyoto. Our group there has already established contact with her."

Never glancing away from the paper she was reading, the woman asked, "To what end?"

"The Battousai has established a partnership with her. She will work for us to destroy Shishio, and then they will both go after Enishi."

"That certainly saves us the trouble," she remarked.

"I agree," Saito confirmed. "Still, the real question here is; can she be trusted?"

"With a doubt," the woman replied instantly. "I was with her in Chinatown. I saw her passion. She is the key to winning this war. She and Misao Makimachi are the good publicity we need."

"Publicity," Saito sneered. "Popularity doesn't win battles."

"Perhaps not. It does help to have support from the people after you win though. Besides, we need more operatives willing to sacrifice for our cause. She is wonderful at inspiring that loyalty in people."

"You're spending too much time focusing on the rebellion and not enough time focusing on hiding yourself," he pointed out. "You're the leader of this rebellion, you know. Drawing the government's eye is a very stupid way to destroy all we've worked for."

"Do you speak to all your superiors this way, Hajime?" the woman asked amused.

"Only the ones I respect," he replied.

"I feel the love," she remarked. "I'll be fine though. They're looking for a male leader, not a female one. I doubt that Shishio has even entertained the idea of a woman leading his opposition."

"This isn't the dark ages," he said sharply. "People will realize that you're woman eventually. There's nothing strange about female leadership anymore. Although, you do seem to change your mind a lot."

"Oh, really?"

"You're also very moody."

"Oh? And you're not, Hajime?"

"Certainly not."

"Uh huh. Well, I want you to keep an eye on our four leading rebels. Keep me updated about how well they interact together. We need them to work together if we what to take back Kyoto."

"You want me to go to Kyoto? Who's going to lead the defense here in Tokyo? " Saito asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I'll survive without you for a week or so. In the meantime, I'll try not to change my mind too many times."

"Yes. It would be helpful if you could learn to control that urge," he agreed with a teasing glint in his eye.

"You'll leave on the morning train tomorrow," she commanded. "Also, tell Aoshi that he needs to take out the weapons plant within the next two weeks. I'll send the blueprints with you."

"I look forward to it."

**********************

"Kaoru calm down," Misao tried to soothe her friend.

Misao was currently walking down an abandoned alley. It had been several hours since her meeting with Aoshi. She had gone back home to change, but she decided to talk to some of her contacts before she called it a night. Throwing her short hair up in a messy bun, she left the house wearing her black stiletto boots, blue jeans, and black leather halter top. Now armed with her much messed weapons, she had searching the dark streets for hours looking any information that she could pick up. Aoshi's oversized leather coat flapped back and forth with her every step. Hopefully, one of Aoshi's boys would see the coat and she could give it back to its owner.

"Look, Kaoru," she said into her cell phone's speaker. "I'll be home in about an hour and I'll tell you all about the meeting with Aoshi. I just need to see one more contact. He owes me a favor and I think that he'll be man enough to voice his opinions about Tenken and his boys."

Misao sighed and rolled her eyes as Kaoru started into another lecture about safety again. Honestly, Kaoru had more maternal instincts than a mother bear. Her concern was sweet, but Misao had only been doing this kind of work most of her life. Kaoru even used to send her on these missions back in the day!

"Look, I'll be home soon. I need to go. Why? You know, it isn't very threatening to these guys when I'm arguing with my mother! Oh…. You are so acting like my mother. Then again, I guess that would be your mother that you're acting like. You are too as bad as her!"

Misao's banter over the phone continued as she walked several blocks over. She had dropped her motorcycle in a parking lot earlier. It was easier to blend in with the crowds when you walked. Ironically, hers clothes were the most bizarre that she'd seen either. Misao was so caught up in her argument with Kaoru that she didn't even notice when she was in front of the Akabeko.

Not looking where she was going, she never noticed stepping into the path that other people on the streets had clearer. The now human-free trail resembled that of a red carpet and the people stood eagerly around it. Everyone stared in amazement as she walked down the invisible road without so much as second thought.

Finally, she turned around and nearly dropped the phone. Seta Soujiro stood with Hina on his arm not but five feet away from her. The three people stared at each other in shock. The crowd was growing restless and was beginning to wonder why the woman's appearance had rattled their leaders so much. The last thing Kaoru heard was Misao's whispered curse on the other line.

**********************

Aoshi was silently reading his once neglected novel when Omasu burst into his study. Aoshi slowly lifted his head from the printed words he held in his right hand. He calmly observed the clearly rattled woman before him. She was breathing heavily and was accompanied by a worried Hannya who stood behind her. Now slightly alarmed, Aoshi silently closed his book and set it down.

"Miss Makimachi is in trouble!" Omasu blurted out.

Seeing his leader's confused look, Hannya explained, "She has had an accidental encounter with the Tenken and the Sakura Habu."

"She's staring them in the face at the Akabeko right now!" Omasu exclaimed. "She's in danger! She can't take them both on at once."

Aoshi rushed from the room with Hannya hot on his heels. A frantic Omasu followed quickly behind them. Not soon after their departure, the whole Oniwabanshu base was on high alert.

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**Authoress' Note: I tried a new method of writing with this chapter. I wrote an outline of the scenes and then wrote them down separately as they came to me. I realized that I could produce better quality writing that way, instead of just sitting for hours and writing. I'm eager to hear what ya'll think about it though.**

**I really want to know what you thought about this chapter. I especially want to know what you thought about Hina. Both criticism and praise are welcomed. Here's a little sneak peak at the next chapter. Two old friends that Misao and Kaoru both knew back in their Chinatown days reappear in Kyoto. Read and review! **


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